Lost and Found
by SeeingStars9114
Summary: When James goes missing on a random afternoon, will he and his family ever be the same?   Kendall/Camille pairing.  Lots of James and Camille friendship.  Plenty of Hurt/Comfort, and a ton of James and Kendall angst!
1. Lost

**AN: Yep, I know what you all are thinking… "She's back already? Doesn't she have a life besides writing fan fiction?". The answer - yes, I have a life, but every minute of free time I get, I spend it writing. This fan fiction was actually a request from one of my good friends - who is an extreme lover of James angst. **

**This is NOT slash and the ONLY pairing is Kendall/Camille, but there will be a lot of Camille and James friendship scenes. This is a multi-chapter story, but I don't know how many chapters there will be exactly. That is kind of up to you, readers!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, because if I **_**did**_** own BTR… Jo's character would have been long gone by now (no offense, Katelyn Tarver!), but I heart the Camille/Kendall pairing a helluva lot more!**

**Warning: Well, obviously some serious angst for James…but for everyone else, too.**

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><p>When shopping at your favorite clothing store, while enjoying the soft rain that is falling, the last thing you want is to get a frantic phone call from your boyfriend saying that something terrible has just happened. <p>

"How about this? Do you think Kendall will like this one?" Camille asked, spinning around slowly to model the plum, spaghetti strap dress. Her father sighed and ran a tired hand over his face as he watched his daughter model the ninth dress this afternoon. "I'm sure Kendall will love any one of them, darling" he replied, trying his best to stay patient and sound supportive. Oh, how he wished Camille's mother were here right now. His dearest Camille had only a few friends other than Mrs. Knight's boys, and those girl-friends were on vacation. How on earth he had managed to stay sane while his upbeat daughter dragged him from store to store in LA to look for the "perfect" dress for her date with Kendall tonight, he had no idea. Every mother that passed him shot him a pitying look as they left with their daughters - who had only tried on one or two things. Why was it that HIS teenager thought so highly of shopping and finding the perfect clothes? Her mother, his wife, had never really been a big fan of mall shopping, or clothes shopping in general. So, where did Camille get it from? His internal lamentations were interrupted, however, when the sound of Big Time Rush's "Til I Forget About You" started blaring from inside Camille's purse next to him. "Hey, Dad? Can you see who that is?" asked Camille from within the dressing room. Her dad nodded to himself and pulled her phone out of her purse. An adorable picture of Camille and Kendall sitting poolside, grinning like lovebirds, was flashing at him as the ringing continued. "It's Kendall, sweetheart" he shouted to her. A millisecond later, Camille shot out of the dressing room at a speed that would have made roadrunner proud. "Well, hello there" she said excitedly as she answered her phone. Her dad smiled at Camille, happy that his beloved Camille had found someone sweet, loving, and respectful towards her. Whenever Kendall would drop by their hotel room to pick her up, Kendall's love for Camille was evident and so strong. He got up from his seat and began to casually walk around the store, not wanting to hear anything too mushy between the two love-struck teenagers. "Baby, calm down, I can't understand a thing that you are saying" Camille said, sitting down in the seat that her dad had previously been occupying. "What? I'm on my way right now. Calm down, I'll be there in just a few minutes." she said after a long pause. She shoved her phone into her purse and grabbed her shoes from out of the dressing room. "What's wrong, Cam?" her dad asked, not liking the look on his daughter's face. "Dad, we have to leave. Now." she said, pulling on her tennis shoes and leaving behind all of the clothes she had been planning on buying. "Camille, tell me what's going on!" her dad exclaimed. Camille tied her last shoelace and ran a shaking hand through her curls, "Dad, James is missing".

Teeth chattering with raw worry, Camille raised her fist to knock on the door of 2J. Right before her hand hit it, the wooden door was flung open and a tall, lithe figure with dirty-blond hair was suddenly in her arms. Camille steadied herself as the force of the embrace nearly knocked both of them onto the carpet. Once she regained her balance, Camille wrapped both arms around the familiar, toned body and returned the tight embrace. Instantly, long, lean fingers gripped the back of her shirt into a fist and silky hair brushed against her collarbone as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Camille smoothed her hand over the soft material of his shirt and up his back. "I'm right here, Kendall." she whispered. A tremor wracked his frame and Camille felt him tighten his grip on her for fear of his knees giving out. "Let's get you inside." Camille whispered gently. A few seconds went by before Kendall finally pulled away from her and stood in front of her. He looked so upset that it almost broke her heart right there and then. Camille reached out and softly traced his jaw line with her fingers. Kendall bit down on his lower lip and just looked at her with shining green eyes. Camille wrapped an arm around his slim waist and walked into apartment 2J with him, being met with a chaotic atmosphere. Mrs. Knight was talking with a police officer, Carlos was sitting at the kitchen table working on some sort of missing person's poster, and Katie was sitting on the edge of the couch with an arm around a distraught Logan's shoulders. Once inside, Kendall pulled away from Camille and went to sit down on the couch, instantly pulling one knee up to his chest. Most people would assume that the position was just his preferred way of sitting, but friends and family knew him well enough to know that the position meant something was wrong. If they are having a bad day, they don't feel well, or they are just plain upset about something, you will find Kendall and James with their knees pulled up to their chest. Usually with their chin resting on top of their knees and a heartbreaking facial expression. James. Camille's heart constricted painfully as the numerous possibilities of where he could be filled her mind. However, she hadn't gotten the full story from anybody yet. After filling a glass with cool water, Camille walked over and sat down next to Kendall. "Have something to drink, Kendall" she suggested, handing him the glass. He mouthed a "thank you", obviously not trusting his own voice to stay strong. He released his knee and straightened up to sit with his back against the cushioning of the couch. Camille scooted closer and put an arm around his broad shoulders, pulling him close against her side. Kendall took a small sip of his water and then set it back down on the table. "I need to know what is going on" Camille whispered, reaching up and combing her fingers gently through his silken hair. Kendall nodded furiously and exhaled deeply before speaking. "Carlos and Logan were here…at the apartment this morning. I was at Rocque Records finishing up some dance rehearsals and James was going to go shopping for a new lucky v neck tee shirt." Kendall said, speaking softly. Camille smiled sadly at the mention of James' lucky tee shirt. "I got home around 3:00pm and James still wasn't back after two hours. We knew that it wouldn't take THAT long for him to go shopping, so we tried calling him again and again…and again." Kendall said, his voice turning into a mere whisper to try to conceal how it was breaking. "He never answered, so we tried visiting his favorite clothing stores and no one had even seen him around. We tried every single clothing store in the area, Camille. There's no sign of him." Kendall finished. Camille squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to ward off the intense oncoming headache as she tried to stay calm. James was missing. Damn it, James…was missing. A loud clap of thunder made both her and Kendall jump a foot into the air and Kendall curled himself up into a ball, resting his head against Camille's chest. Rain began to hit the windows and lightening lit up the apartment every few seconds. What if James is out in this? Camille began to run her hand up and down Kendall's back, the action calming both of them. They sat wordlessly on the couch for quite some time. The police officer, report in hand, left after another twenty minutes went by…only after giving them some bad news. It was getting late, daylight was diminishing, and the storm outside was dangerous. The officers and detectives would continue to look for James for another half an hour or so, but then they would have to stop for the night and start again tomorrow when the storm fizzled. The TV was on in the main room, albeit on mute, and the storm radar showed that this storm would not be ending for some time. Not wanting to risk losing another teenager, the detectives refused to recruit Logan, Kendall, and Carlos to help put up the missing person's flyers tonight. Heartbroken, the six of them gathered with numerous cups of hot chocolate and continued to watch the unceasing rain fall. Carlos and Logan sat at the kitchen table with their cups of steaming cocoa, just staring at a crack on the wooden surface of the table. Katie sat on the other side of Kendall, absent-mindedly peering into her mug. She was old enough to know how serious all of this, and at this moment…she wished that she wasn't. Mrs. Knight sat next to her daughter with one arm around the girl's small shoulders. Camille sat with Kendall, wordlessly rubbing her hand up and down the soft skin of his bare arm. It was warm in the apartment, but his skin was still cold and he was trembling slightly. Camille felt so terrible that she had no comforting words to offer him. What do you tell your boyfriend when his best friend goes missing on a random afternoon? Camille let her gaze fall on Logan for a moment and she felt her heart get heavier, despite the fact that she didn't think that was possible. The raven-haired boy was chewing furiously on his lower lip, his fingers visibly shaking as he traced the top of his cup of hot chocolate. Logan and Kendall always felt responsible whenever something bad happened to one of them, and she could almost see the guilt eating away at them. Camille pressed a kiss to the top of Kendall's head, letting her lips linger against his hair for a moment. To think…it was only 8:00pm.

_He knew that the warm liquid leaking from between his calloused fingers was the vital blood that was supposed to be __IN__ his body, but he didn't even have the strength to apply proper pressure. People were staring unabashedly at him, and not in the usual awestruck-by-handsomeness kind of a way. The occupants of the nicer part of Los Angeles rarely ever saw a seemingly drunk teenager wandering the streets aimlessly. They would understand his situation better if the rain wouldn't be obscuring the sight of the numerous bleeding cuts on his body and face. Yes, he knew that his sopping wet hair was probably askew and his lucky comb would be ashamed to be associated with it, but he didn't care right now…and that scared him. Right now, the only thing his beloved hair was doing was aiding the rain in it's process of blurring his vision. He just wanted to be home, dry, and warm. The few memories he had of this afternoon made no sense, so how would he explain things to the police? That is if he ever got home. He could barely stand anymore and the storm was chilling him to the bone. He didn't even know where the hell he was in Los Angeles! Stumbling, he turned down a dark corner, not caring that it appeared to be an alley behind a bar. Once in the secluded, more than likely dangerous area, his legs gave out and pain shot through his knees as they hit the unforgiving cement. The pain was barely noticeable though, it went in sync with the same throbbing agony covering his entire being. Not caring that it was probably less-than sanitary, he collapsed completely onto the wet ground, oblivious to the puddles of rain soaking through his already saturated clothing. The action jarred every bruise and cut on his body and his teeth began to violently chatter. Was he really going to die here? In an alley, at the back of some bar, in the rain? He didn't even get a chance to tell Logan, Carlos, and Kendall that he loved them so much and they were the best brothers anyone could have. He didn't even get a chance to tell Mrs. Knight that she would always be his true mother to him and he loved her like a son loves a mother. What about Katie? He thought of her as his closest, only sister and he couldn't even tell the sweet young girl that? All because he had decided to go shopping alone in broad daylight? It all seemed so wrong. His shaking got worse to the point of being painful and the rain continued to beat against him cruelly. Everything hurt so badly. Hot tears began to fall in rivulets down his pink cheeks and mingled with the rain that was doing the same. He just wanted to go home, to 2J, to his family. Like the lightening above him, pain shot through his arm and unconsciousness tugged at him, tempting him to succumb to it and let the pain disappear. James thought one last time about his friends and family before surrendering to the merciful darkness._

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><p><strong>So, what did you guys think? Should I continue with this story? Please review! If I get enough reviews, I guarantee that I will post another chapter this week! :D<strong>


	2. Searching

**AN: Whoa! Thank you guys so much for all of the reviews, favorites and alerts! Because of all of you being awesome, I'm posting this chapter earlier than I was planning on. ****J Thank you, awesome anonymous reviewers, too! I'm super glad that you all like the story so far! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything! **

**Warning: No warnings, except this chapter is a little bit shorter than the first one! However, don't worry! The next chapter should be longer for ya'll! :)**

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><p>Camille exhaled deeply, her eyes riveted to the man lying across her lap. Long, fair eyelashes fluttered ever so lightly and grazed the shadows underneath his eyes as he tried to keep them open. Camille watched as Kendall's chest rose as he inhaled and then fell, abdominal muscles becoming taut underneath his thin white shirt, as he exhaled. Camille's eyes trailed up his chest and fell to gaze down directly below her at his lips. She loved his lips so much…they were always smooth, warm and a soft pink color. Kendall sighed, his breath disrupting a few stray strands of her long dark hair. She stared at his lips for a minute longer, they parted slightly as his jaw slackened slightly and breathing came more naturally than it had been earlier today - fatigue and worry was getting the best of him. Camille let her fingers hover over his features for a moment and then she traced his jaw line with a feather-light touch, only her fingertips gently grazing his soft skin. She continued to trace his features, over the bridge of his nose, and then smoothing over his cheeks. Camille knew that he was asleep by now. It was 11:00pm and everyone else had wordlessly retired to their bedrooms somewhat hesitatingly awhile ago, knowing that terrible images and hopeless thoughts would more than likely plague their minds. Camille gently smoothed Kendall's soft bangs off of his forehead and continued to stroke them back rhythmically, knowing that no amount of sleep would bless her with it's presence any time soon. About ten minutes went by before Camille was pulled out of her daze by the sound of soft footsteps approaching. She looked up and saw Katie standing in front of her, large brown eyes saddened and tired. The young girl glanced down at her sleeping, angelic brother and her lips twitched into a small smile, but it disappeared and she averted her gaze back to Camille. "I can't sleep" she whispered sadly. Camille nodded in understanding, "Me either." she whispered. "Can I sit with you two for awhile?" Katie asked. Camille nodded, touched by Katie wanting to sit with her, and patted the empty spot on the couch on the other side of her. Katie grabbed two fuzzy blankets from on top of a bar stool and curled up in the empty spot on the couch. Camille helped tuck one of the soft blankets around Katie and then put her free arm around the young girl's shoulders. With her other hand, Camille spread the other blanket on top of Kendall and pulled it up to his shoulders. Resting one hand palm-open on Kendall's rising and falling abdomen, and one arm around his little sister's shoulders, Camille took a deep breath and told herself that they would get through this night.<p>

_**~6:00am~**_

Camille woke up with a start, almost dumping a still-unconscious Kendall off of her lap and onto the floor. Heart beating erratically, Camille ran a hand through her now-knotted curls. Whoa, she had actually fallen asleep for awhile. Katie was still curled up against her, asleep and snoring softly in a kitten-like fashion. Kendall was still in a deep sleep across her lap, seemingly undisrupted by her sudden awakening. The sun was still in it's process of rising weakly amongst thick clouds, and a soft rain was still falling, but nothing compared to the severity of last night's storm. Katie yawned and opened her eyes slowly, not completely aware of her surroundings yet. Upon noticing that it was officially "tomorrow", she bounced up and off of the couch, running towards her mother's bedroom to tell her that it was time to get going. As much as they needed their sleep, James had been missing for a total of 17 hours by now, and that was a lifetime to family members. Stretching her arms above her head, Camille sighed, not necessarily prepared for the day ahead of them. Mrs. Knight came staggering out of the bedroom and went straight to the kitchen to make coffee. Katie came back out into the main room a few minutes later and sat down beside Camille again. She leaned down and pressed a loving kiss to Kendall's forehead, "Kendall. It's time to wake up, big brother." she gently coaxed. Kendall's eyelashes fluttered for a moment and he looked around the room with tired eyes. Camille wrapped her right arm around his shoulders and helped him get into a sitting position. "I shouldn't have slept so long" Kendall whispered. "You needed your sleep, hon. You're no good to James if you pass out from exhaustion." Camille consoled, fingering the hair at the nape of his neck. Kendall nodded and kissed her softly. "I'm going to go take a shower." he said, getting up off of her lap and stretching his legs. Camille nodded, "Okay. I'm going to go dig in your room for some of my spare clothes so I can shower after you". They both nodded, everyone in the apartment at a loss to say anything other than "okay" and other simple words. They all showered one after the other, silently passing each other on the way to the bathroom. All of them did their best to ignore the unused Cuda products on the sink, but it was a glaring, painful reminder that James wasn't here this morning.

Camille dug in her "emergency clothes" duffle bag that was in Kendall's closet. A pair of fitted sweatpants, underwear, socks, and a lace camisole were the only things in there. It was cloudy, a very cool day for Los Angeles, and it was raining…great. She slipped on those items and pulled her still-damp hair into a ponytail, not really caring that her hair would more than likely dry in some strange, frizzy way. Kendall came into the room, only wearing a pair of jeans that sat perfectly on his hips. Camille smiled at him and he smiled back. Happy to see his adorable dimples, Camille's grin grew wider. "Is that all you have?" he asked, frowning at how cold she might get in the simple clothing. Camille just nodded and shrugged, "Unfortunately". Kendall slipped on a t-shirt and then a sweater on top of it before beginning to dig furiously in one of his dresser drawers. A few seconds later, he pulled out his familiar soft, gray hoodie. He casually strode over to her and got behind her, gently helping her arms into the long sleeves. After that, he got in front of her, adjusted the collar lovingly, and zipped it up to her shoulders. Camille smiled at him, happily enjoying the soft material of his warm, beloved hoodie, and the smell of Downy and his cologne. She reached up onto her tiptoes and kissed him. "Thank you." she whispered against his lips. Kendall put an arm around her shoulders and they exited the bedroom together. "Let's go find James." he said.

When did Los Angeles' weather turn so ugly? That was the question in everyone's mind as they continued to walk for their fourth hour on the streets, in the soft, yet cold rain. Detectives walked on either side of them and shouted out James' name. German shepherds wandered the side streets and alleys. The six of them had split up into two groups, one on either side of the street. Two hundred and forty minutes had gone by since they'd started searching this morning and there was no sign of him…no sign of ANYTHING. Kendall had one arm wrapped Camille's waist, pulling her close to him as they walked. She now had both his gray hoodie AND his sweater on. They had argued about that for twenty minutes before she finally gave up due to the time they were wasting. Goosebumps were visible on Kendall's bare arms and the skin that his v neck shirt exposed, but he refused to take his sweater back. Camille shivered as the wind blew harshly against them. A sudden feeling of uneasiness overtook her as they passed a dark alley. Nothing superstitious or "evil" per say, but that feeling that women get sometimes when they KNOW something's wrong and just…off. "Let's check down there, 'kay?" Camille suggested, pointing down the alley. Kendall looked at her, unsure, but then nodded and escorted her protectively as they turned down the alley. It was just darkness, silence, and deep puddles of rain for the first several feet that they walked. Just as they were about to turn back, Kendall and Camille saw something that they didn't expect to see.

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><p><strong>*cue dramatic music* Sorry, guys, but I love cliffhangers! :D Please review! Believe me when I say that every review encourages and motivates me to write more! So, review with your thoughts, my peeps! <strong>


	3. Waiting

**AN: Thank you very, very much for the reviews and story alerts! Ya'll rock! :D Here's a nice long chapter for you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

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><p>Camille was pretty sure her heart skipped several beats as her gaze fell on the prone figure in the streets, surrounded by a pool of pinkish water. "James!" she shouted, not caring that it wasn't even confirmed that he was the figure. Kendall ran after her as she bolted over to the body. Torn, bloody jeans clung tightly to long, muscular legs, a black t-shirt that was almost completely in shreds was blood-soaked and left little to the imagination when it came to his chest; normally perfect hair was sticking to his damp forehead and pink cheeks, and one hand was resting loosely on the bicep of his other arm as if he had passed out while holding it. "James! James, can you hear me?" Camille exclaimed, ignoring the puddle of cold water that she was kneeling in. Kendall wandered the alley protectively, checking for people lurking in the shadows. Camille didn't point out to him that if something did happen, the kidnapper would easily subdue him. Kendall probably weighed 130lbs...tops. To a murderer, that's equivalent to a large pillow. "The alley's empty. I'm going to go get help." Kendall said, looking horrified as he saw his friend's state. Camille just nodded and began to check James over as Kendall ran off. He had a pulse, thready and weak but still present, but he was so cold and pale!<p>

Camille heard sirens in the distance and she peered out to look at the street. The roadway was packed with traffic moving one mile per hour. What if the paramedics couldn't get here quickly? Camille whipped off her sweater and put it under James' head, not knowing what else to do without the guidance of a medical professional. With someone who has been through the unknown, Camille didn't want to cause more damage. She looked out into the street again. The ambulance was at the far end of the roadway, sirens wailing, obscenely bright lights flashing. Camille watched it, praying that traffic moved for the emergency vehicle - not one car did, though. Suddenly, the ambulance started emitting sounds that Camille had never heard before and the air horn was blasted several times. Freaked out, cars began to move slowly to both the left and the right. Did nobody remember the "move to the right as far as possible and stop" driving rule anymore? The ambulance, despite it's size, began to maneuver it's way through the traffic impressively, every sound still wailing. Within a few seconds, it was parked in front of the entrance to the alley. "Help's almost here, James. It's going to be okay." Camille whispered to the unconscious young man, smoothing back his damp hair. Even while experiencing sweet unconsciousness, James had a scared, hurt expression on his handsome face - almost as if he had passed out while in the middle of being terrified and in pain. Camille swallowed the large lump that was forming in her throat, and blinked rapidly in attempt to stop the gathering hot tears from falling. Despite the cool weather and rain, Camille could feel sweat trickling down the back of her neck. It felt like the humidity in the air had increased severely and her clothes were suffocating her.

Upon hearing the sound of footsteps in the distance, Camille wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and took a deep breath. A tall, muscular detective came running to meet the ambulance. The man resembled James, but a little bit older, probably around 22-25 years old, with sun kissed skin taught over muscles, hazel eyes, and medium length dark hair. He certainly wore the police uniform well. Camille half expected two hunky paramedics to step out of the ambulance, too, but the opposite stepped out. Two petite young women hopped out of the back of the ambulance with supplies. One with pixie cut brown hair and glasses, and one with long dark hair pulled up into a neat bun. The male officer approached them and pulled out his flashlight, surveying the alley briefly before escorting the two women towards Camille and James. The paramedic with the long hair was obviously close to the officer, Camille knew by the way the man rested his hand on the small of the woman's back while escorting them. "What have we got, David?" the woman with the short hair asked. "Well, Lexi, we've got a 17 year old male - been missing for almost 24 hours now. The extent of his injuries is unknown." the officer, David, replied. The short-haired woman, Lexi, nodded. The other female paramedic had what resembled a backboard and the stretcher with her. A sudden cloud burst began to drench everybody in the cold rain and David immediately shrugged off his heavy rain coat and put it on Veronica. Yep, they were definitely a couple. Camille bent down and pressed a feather-light kiss to James' forehead, the feeling of his unusually cold skin against her lips sending goose bumps shooting up her arms. The two paramedics bent down, after removing Camille from the scene, and gently, yet quickly began to assess James. The scene was somewhat chaotic in a way, but very controlled. If aliens would drop down from the sky and start abducting people at this very moment, these three people would be able to fix it and control the scene. Within minutes, they had James back-boarded and on the stretcher. "What have we got for respirations, heart rate, and BP, Veronica?" asked David. The paramedic with the long hair replied with several sets of numbers that Camille didn't understand, but they were all considerably small numbers and that couldn't be good. Camille absent-mindedly followed behind the three people while they rolled the stretcher to the ambulance. Upon glancing at them, she noticed that both "Veronica" and "David" had a last name beginning with the letter "M". That couldn't be coincidence. Kendall showed up and wrapped both arms around Camille's waist from behind, "The officer is going to escort us to the hospital." he said. Camille just nodded as she watched the stretcher being lifted into the back of the ambulance. Before she knew it, they were being ushered into a police car. The ambulance was driving off code three, lights flashing, sirens blaring…with James in the back.

Camille had been in this hospital numerous times because of the boys, but, fortunately, Kendall was here for her this time. The eerie silence between the six people in the waiting room was absolutely terrible, though. Kendall and Camille were curled up together on the cushioned bench in the corner. Kendall continued to thread his fingers through Camille's dark, curly hair while she soothingly rubbed her hand up and down his bare arm. "He looked like a ghost" whispered Kendall, more to himself than to anyone in particular. Reaching up, Camille kissed the side of his face affectionately and Kendall looked down to smile at her sadly. With one smooth stroke of his warm hand, he swept her curls over her shoulder and began to finger the soft strands, the action giving him a much-needed distraction. A few minutes later, a tall, broad-shouldered woman in her thirties came striding into the waiting room. The stethoscope hanging over her shoulder and the white coat clearly indicated that she was a medical professional. She had a gentle appearance, but it mingled with a certain air about her that led Camille to believe that this woman had seen everything possible in the medical field. To lend a helping hand this time, Kendall gently got up from underneath Camille and approached the doctor. Sticking a femininely strong hand out, the woman introduced herself, "Hello, there. I'm Dr. Andy and I'll be in charge of your friend, James, that the paramedics brought in earlier. You must be Kendall?" she asked. Kendall nodded, confused as to why this woman knew his name already, but shook her hand anyway. "Yes, I am. How did you know?" he asked. "James was conscious for a few minutes and he mentioned a few names. His words were slurred by the medication we gave him, but I managed to recognize the names 'Kendall' and 'Camille'. I'm assuming that the pretty young woman you were sitting with was Camille?" Dr. Andy said, her lips twitching into a small, understanding smile. Kendall just smiled back at her, confirming the doctor's assumption, but he quickly became serious again. "How is he?" he asked in a semi-whisper. "James is quite sick, Kendall. A severe case of pneumonia, sepsis, dehydration, exhaustion, and moderate trauma to numerous parts of his body. Fortunately, none of these things, in his case, are life-threatening, but the combination…well, it isn't going to be pretty. We'll monitor him closely for at least another 24 hours just to stay on the safe side. However, I'm confident that with time, strict rules of medications, and specific instructions of things that he may or may not do…James will be just fine." she replied. Kendall nodded, not exactly happy with the list of things that James was suffering from, but comforted to hear that he was in capable hands. "Can he have any visitors yet?" Kendall asked. Dr. Andy shook her head apologetically, "I'm sorry, Kendall, James isn't quite ready for visitors. We need another few hours to get him situated in his room and make sure he's getting everything he needs. Take that time to go get some rest. With the somewhat long road to recovery that James has, he's going to need you and the rest of his friends to be strong, and by his side. Remember to take care of yourself, too, Kendall. Usually, the best thing you can do for a friend in need, is to make sure that you are in good enough condition to always be there for him". Kendall nodded, the doctor's words made plenty of since despite the fact that sleeping and eating were normally the last things on his mind when someone he loved was hurt or upset. "Okay. Thank you, doctor." he replied, shaking the woman's hand once more. "No problem, Kendall. I'll make sure that he's in excellent hands at all times and I will update you on his condition every single time I, myself, hear anything new." Dr. Andy reassured, and smiled once more at him before leaving. Kendall walked back over to the cushioned bench and sat down next to Camille as everyone else crowded around him to hear the news. Facial expressions changed rapidly from happy, to sympathetic and upset, and then back to happy, and so forth as Kendall repeated everything that Dr. Andy had told him. By the end of the explanations, everyone was just glad that James was going to be all right.

"Hey, Camille? Why don't I take you home so you can get a few hours of sleep?" Kendall suggested as he handed Camille the fourth cup of coffee he had gotten for her. Camille raised one eyebrow at him as if asking "Really? You expect me to go home during all of this?", so Kendall let the subject go, deeming it a poor choice to suggest such a thing to Camille. "Dr. Andy said that James won't be ready for visitors for another two or three hours. Do you mind if I take a nap?" Kendall asked, yawning at the mere mention of anything to do with sleep. Camille was going to ask why he had to ask her before he took a nap, but she ignored it, "Of course it's okay." she replied. Kendall nodded, stretched his long legs onto the entire length of the bench they were on, and situated himself comfortably with his entire upper body lying across her lap. Oh, that's way he asked her if she would mind. Camille let out a small giggle and stroked his hair back off of his forehead. Kendall closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, letting exhaustion take over him while Camille continued to pet him lovingly. "Sweet dreams" Camille whispered. Kendall smiled, "Mmhhmm. They are always guaranteed when I'm with you." he whispered back. Camille smiled, the blood rising to her cheeks slightly at his cute comment, and rubbed his shoulder. As tired as she was, Camille would rather stay up and watch Kendall sleep than get stuck in a deep sleep and not be able to visit James once she was allowed to. Mrs. Knight was nervously reading magazines, yet obviously not paying attention to the content. Camille could tell that Kendall's mom could be reading it upside down and still not notice due to the worry that plagued her. Logan and Carlos each had an arm wrapped around Katie who was asleep between them. Kendall was, well, asleep on Camille's lap already. Things were perfectly fine. Little did they know, things would change once James woke up.

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><p><strong>Reviews = another chapter this week...maybe even two ;) Review like crazy and you'll be rewarded with extra angst! :D<br>**


	4. Nurses

**AN: It's official, you guys rock! Thank you so, so much for all of the reviews! I really do appreciate them! Of course, you all reviewed, and now you are being rewarded! An angst-filled, fast update, and I'm mentally sending all of you virtual cookies :D**

**On another note, who saw Big Time Break Up? Frankly, if Kendall looked at me with that heartbreaking, sad face, I'd forget the stupid movie in New Zealand…and probably forget my own name! Who leaves that man for three years for a movie? Oy! However, raise your hand if you wish that the producers of Big Time Rush will read my fan fiction and decide to pair Camille with Kendall now? *raises hand* Hey, a girl can hope, right? Lol :P**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything, never will. **

**Warning: Ya'll asked for angst, so I shouldn't have to warn you ;)**

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><p>After approximately two hours had gone by, Dr. Andy came and told Camille that James was now ready for visitors. Camille smiled with relief and bent down to press a soft kiss to Kendall's lips. "Kendall, James is ready for visitors." she whispered, gently shaking his shoulder. Well, he didn't need to be told twice. Kendall sat up, barely missing colliding with Camille's head, and moved off of her lap. "He's ready?" he asked excitedly. Camille smiled and ran her hand down his back, smoothing out a wrinkle in his shirt in the process. "Yep" she replied. By now, everyone else was awake, too. Not all of them had really gotten much sleep, except for Kendall. Camille had managed to stay awake the whole time while Mrs. Knight, Katie, Logan, and Carlos took turns taking ten minutes naps. Camille stood up and stretched out her arms and legs to get rid of the stiffness that had been bugging her for the whole two hours. They had decided to visit James in twos, with Kendall and Camille going first, but Dr. Andy suddenly came back. "Before you all go visit James, I'd like to update you on a few things." the doctor said, a pitying look on her face. Everyone's excitement to see James diminished abruptly at these words. "James appears to not remember anything that happened while he was missing." Dr. Andy said. Camille's heart jumped into her throat, and her mouth dropped open. How could that be possible? "Right now, James is jumpy and nervous around our staff, so just a warning to you all, be gentle, quiet, and careful around him. Because of his injuries, he is tired and very sore, and will more than likely be that way for quite awhile until his body heals itself. Now that none of us, including James, know what has happened to him, let us all be extremely careful with him. With my experience in this field and some study in psychology, I know that even the smallest thing could trigger something…and that "something" could be good or bad." she warned. To say the least, this news had changed everyone's attitudes from relieved and happy to shocked and worried. Kendall's hand went to his side and he interlocked his fingers with Camille's. At the feeling of his strong, lean fingers connecting with hers, Camille gave Kendall's hand a comforting squeeze and she took a step back to lean against him. Mrs. Knight, the only one who could finally find her voice, thanked Dr. Andy. The six of them stood silently in the hallway for a moment, everyone's thoughts running rampant with the information they had just received. Logan finally cleared his throat after several minutes and spoke, "Okay, guys, James is in room 101. Camille? Why don't you go in first since he will probably trust you the most right now". It took several seconds before Camille realized that someone was talking to her and she just nodded towards Logan. She turned around, coming chest to chest with Kendall, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Kendall's fingers slipped out of her hand and went up to softly thread into her hair as he kissed her back. Camille, letting her lips linger a moment longer on Kendall's lower lip, whispered "I'll come out and let you know if he's going to be okay with the rest of you visiting right away." Kendall nodded, "Okay" he whispered, his warm, minty breath on her face making her a little dizzy. Camille smiled a small, comforting smile at all of the worried faces in the waiting room, and began her journey to visit James, having no idea what to expect.<p>

The sound of her heart beating rapidly with a mixture of anticipation and fear seemed to be the only thing Camille could hear. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, Camille stopped in front of room 101 and opened the door. She decided to enter without knocking, just in case James had fallen asleep, again. His sleep was far more important than having a verbal visit with him. The room was surprisingly large, with only one lamp glowing in the corner, and it had two chairs sitting on either side of the acceptably sized hospital bed. James was lying on his back, eyes closed, left arm bent at a 90 degree angle and resting on his torso. Even though the room was somewhat dimly lit at the moment, Camille could tell that his bare chest, arms, and face had scattered cuts covering his normally-flawless skin. The white hospital sheet that was folded back slightly mid-chest made his unusual paleness seemed all the more prominent. Why did hospitals have to choose daunting white sheets? Everyone would more than likely prefer the silky smooth navy colored sheets that Kendall had on his bed at home. Camille approached the bed, stepping carefully to make sure she was soundless, and then sat down in the chair on the right side of the bed. Now in closer view of him, the severity of his state was obvious. A large bandage was wrapped around his left arm, small pieces of gauze were taped to his skin in random areas of his chest and arms, and a cut on his forehead above his right brow was covered with a butterfly bandage. Compared to the last time Camille had seen him, lying prone on the ground of an alley in a puddle of bloody water, his expression was a little less…pained than it had been. After watching him carefully and thinking about what to do next, Camille slowly slipped her small hand into his, nearly withdrawing it when her hand came in contact with the intense heat of his skin. Normally, the simple gesture would be calming and sweet, so Camille wasn't prepared for the reaction. The sound of the monitor next to him began to beep, communicating with her that his heart rate was increasing rapidly, and James started awake with a gasp. "James!" Camille exclaimed, her own heart beating wildly at his sudden awakening. Bright, glassy hazel eyes searched the room hurriedly, checking every corner and spot, before finally landing on Camille's wide, dark brown eyes. Adrenaline no longer pumping as swiftly, pain began to run through James like nothing he had ever felt before, and he let out a surprised cry of pain. Wrapping his right arm around his waist, he attempted to lower himself gently back to the pillows, but ended up just falling unceremoniously backwards onto them. Camille got up out of her chair and sat down on the side of his bed next to him. "James. Calm down, it's just me." Camille reassured softly. James stared at her with wide eyes, breathing hard. "Camille?" he whispered. The look on his face and the terror in his voice was heartrending. "Yeah, James it's me. It's okay, you're in the hospital." Camille replied, keeping her voice soft and close to a whisper. She was waiting for him to either turn angry with her, or to ignore her, but he did neither. A sob escaped James' lips and he reached out to her with his uninjured arm. Camille nearly melted into a puddle at the way he was looking at her. She scooted closer and wrapped both of her arms around him extremely carefully. James leaned into Camille's embrace, bringing his right arm up to wrap around her waist, and buried his face in her shoulder. Camille felt her stomach turn as she listened to him crying softly against her. "It's okay. Everything's going to be all right." Camille whispered.

James eventually became silent as Camille continued to hold him for an unknown amount of time, the only sign that he was awake was his still-erratic breathing. Now that both of her legs were completely numb from being in this terribly strange position, Camille gently shifted so that she was lying above James at an angle, his head resting on her chest. As Camille got situated, he grabbed a fistful of her shirt, desperately clinging to her for fear she would disappear. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere" Camille consoled as she brought the blanket back up over his bare chest. His skin was still extremely warm, but of course, because of his fever he was feeling the opposite temperature. Unable to lay on his side due to several severely bruised ribs, James laid on his back (most of his upper body on top of Camille) and rested the side of his face on her chest. Reaching over, Camille pressed the button to call the nurse. Several minutes later, a nurse appeared that looked less-than thrilled to be there. "Can I please get a bottle of water and another blanket?" Camille asked, politely. The nurse glared at Camille, really not looking happy that Camille had summoned her so she could have her get items. "Why should I?" the nurse asked, angrily. Camille's mouth dropped open at the nurse's remark. This was obviously no Florence Nightingale…and Camille didn't have time for a nurse with a bad attitude. "Um…I think you heard me." Camille replied, a tad miffed. The nurse just stood there, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "How about you get me those items right about now, and I won't talk to your supervisors about your sexual harassment towards my friend here." Camille warned. The nurse's eyebrows shot up into her hair, "What sexual harassment?" she demanded. Camille glared at her, one eyebrow quirked up. Were Camille's nerves already shot from how distressed James was? Yes. Was she angry enough with the nurse's attitude that she would make up sexual harassment? Hell, yes. After rolling her eyes (somewhat nervously), the nurse finally left to get the items Camille had asked for. Camille brushed her dark curls over her shoulder so that they weren't hanging in James' face, and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Why-why don't I remember what-what happened?" James asked. He was getting himself worked up, his heart was increasing, and he was on the brink of hyperventilating. Camille smoothed his bangs back a little, "Calm down, hon. Just breathe, okay?" she said. She moved her hand over to rub his uninjured bare shoulder. "Sometimes when someone goes through something that is unexpected and frightening, our subconscious makes us forget it…whether we actually want to or not." Camille said, only answering his question after she felt him adjust to actually filling his lungs with oxygen. James nodded against her, his concentrating on breathing giving him something to do.

A little while later, the nurse finally brought the water and blanket. Camille knew that she had taken her precious time to get back at Camille for her threat. Camille grumbled an ungrateful "thanks" and draped the blanket over James. Ten minutes earlier he had begun to start to shake uncontrollably and the recent dose of antibiotics hadn't started working yet. Painkillers had James in and out of consciousness but he was still aware enough to cling to Camille like she was life itself. Katie appeared quietly in the doorway five minutes later, a questioning, yet sad look on her face as she surveyed the scene before her. Camille shook her head a little, trying not to disturb the currently sleeping, yet shivering, James, and mouthed a "not yet". She was quite aware that the rest of the family really wanted to come see him, but James, in her mind, wasn't ready for five more people to visit him yet. Katie nodded sadly and left as quietly as she had come. Camille continued to rub James' shoulder and focused on listening to his even breathing. The way the blanket was situated on him, she could see the large amount of purple and blue bruising that covered his bare waist. All right…things were not as OK as Camille had thought they were going to be. James was absolutely terrified and even more ill than they had believed. He couldn't remember anything, so none of them knew who, why, or what happened. Kendall and Logan blamed themselves for what happened, and that would get even worse when they actually saw his condition with their own eyes. The attacker or attackers were still out there somewhere…and James had a very long road to recovery ahead of him. So, when your best friend shows up terribly ill, scared out of his mind and abused, with no memory of what happened…and your boyfriend and other best friend feel at fault for everything…what the hell are you supposed to do first?

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><p><strong>Hope you all liked it! Please review! I shall give you, my buddies, the same offer. Review like crazy, and you will get yet ANOTHER chapter this week that's packed with angst :D<strong>


	5. Hospital Stays

**AN: Hello :D Thank you for the reviews, awesome peoples! They are much appreciated! I decided to post this chapter earlier than usual both as a reward for the reviews and because I might not be able to update again until after the holiday.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

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><p><em>What to do first? <em>Camille bit down on her lower lip and let her thoughts race as she tried to figure out where to start. Okay. The first move was making sure James was safe and got healthy again. His physical condition was the most important thing right now - not getting him to remember what happened. Camille smoothed his hair back gently, "How are you doing, James?" she whispered in his ear. "Everything hurts. I just don't…I don't feel good." he replied softly. Camille's heart ached for him. James rarely ever got sick, and he wasn't the type to vie for attention whenever something was wrong - he actually tried to make sure no attention was drawn to him when illness struck. "I'm sorry." Camille whispered. "Can I get you something?" she asked. James shook his head, "No thanks". Camille smiled a little bit. Of course, he was even polite when miserable. James trembled and Camille felt him grow tense as he tried to ignore the pain that seemed to be radiating throughout his entire body. Camille moved her hand away from his hair and wrapped both arms around his shoulders, carefully making sure that she didn't come in contact with the bandage secured around his left bicep. "Just try to get some sleep. The others want to come visit in a little bit, is that okay?" she asked and James nodded. Unwrapping her arms from around him, Camille began to gently slide out from underneath him. As she began to walk away, a hand grabbed her wrist (albeit weakly) and stopped her from going any further. Camille turned around, and was met by James staring up at her with terrified hazel eyes. "Why are you leaving?" James asked, his voice breaking from either pain or utter loneliness. "Oh, James, I'm not leaving you. I'm just going to let the rest of the family know that they can come in for awhile. I swear I'll be right back." she said, resting her other hand on the one gripping her wrist. James nodded, still unsure, and let go hesitantly. Camille gave him a reassuring smile and walked out of the room, leaving the door a quarter of the way open. Once in the hallway, Camille let out a breath that she felt like she had been holding for the past 45 minutes and proceeded to go to the waiting room.

Kendall stood up and his long legs brought him over to Camille in an instance. "How is he?" he asked, green eyes large with worry. Despite the circumstances, Camille gave him a small smile, only wanting to make the distressed look on his face disappear. One thing Camille could absolutely NOT handle: something worrying or hurting one of her beloved boys. Unfortunately, she had a double dose of that right now…and it was killing her. "He's really sick, Kendall…and he's scared." Camille replied. She could almost see his heart sink at the upsetting news and like a reflex, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him into a hug. After several seconds, Kendall pulled away and kissed her forehead. "Can…can I go see him?" he asked. Camille nodded, "Yeah, everyone can. One at a time, though. We've got to be extremely careful, Kendall, and I mean _extremely _careful". Kendall nodded and glanced behind him, silently asking the rest of his family if he could go first - which they replied with several nods. Taking his hand in hers, Camille began to lead Kendall to James' room.

Camille reluctantly let go of Kendall's hand and pushed open the door to room 101. Kendall froze in the doorway, his eyes studying his friend lying on the hospital bed. "It's okay." Camille whispered, taking his hand once again to bring him over to James. She wasn't exactly sure why she was saying things were "okay", but the look on Kendall's face told her that she needed to say something reassuring. Camille sat back down in her previous spot on the edge of the bed, and with a feather-light touch she rested her hand on James' warm cheek. Luckily, he didn't have the same reaction to her touch as the first time and he opened his eyes slowly. "Hi, there. Kendall's here to see you." she whispered. James blinked a few times, his absurdly long, dark eyelashes hitting the shadows beneath his bright eyes. At the mention of his name, Kendall approached the bed and sat down in the chair on the other side of the bed. Reaching out slowly, he gently took James' right hand in both of his. "Hey, James." Kendall greeted softly. His automatic reaction to seeing James' condition was to move carefully and speak quietly. James involuntarily jumped a little at the contact, but Kendall didn't let go of his hand. "It's all right. No one is going to hurt you anymore." Kendall said, his voice broke slightly, but the look on his face proved that he was intent on keeping that promise. James nodded and Camille saw him swallow hard as he worked to gain control of himself. "Kendall?" James whispered and his blonde friend nodded. "I-I can't remember anything." James confessed, his breath hitched in his throat and he couldn't control the sobs anymore. Camille let her gaze drop to the blanket, not wanting to see the look on Kendall's face. _Knowing_ that his expression was heart wrenching was bad enough, she didn't have to see it. Kendall bit down on his lip as he watched the tears moisten James' bottom eyelashes and slip down his fever-reddened cheeks. Unable to control it any longer, Kendall sat down on the edge of the bed and wrapped both of his long arms around James' shaking shoulders. "That's okay, James, we'll figure everything out. Everything's going to be all right." Kendall said, trying to console his hysterical best friend. However, James' frustration with not being able to remember what happened to him was completely understandable. If roles were reversed, Camille would be inconsolable, too.

The commotion and James' rising heart rate and blood pressure must have alerted someone, because a nurse (thankfully not the one from earlier) showed up a to make sure everything was all right. The young nurse stared confusedly at the scene before her and then looked over at Camille. "It's okay, we can handle it." Camille said. "I'm sorry, miss, but we need to get him to calm down." the nurse replied, reaching for a syringe that more than likely held a sedative. Camille jumped up abruptly and ran over to the nurse. "No! That's all right, I'll get him to calm down. Just…don't drug him…please? I think that will only make things worse." Camille warned. The nurse thought about this for a moment, but then nodded. "Fine, but if his heart rate doesn't decrease in the next two minutes, I'm coming back to give him something. This isn't good for him." the nurse replied before leaving. Hoping that the bed wouldn't give out, Camille climbed up to sit on the opposite side of Kendall. "James? Hon, I need you calm down, okay?" Camille said, smoothing her hand down the soft skin of his bare back. She was sitting completely behind him by now, leaning back against his pillows. Kendall looked helplessly up at her from over James' shoulder, his green eyes wet with tears of his own. All right…this was slowly killing her. As gently as possible, she put her right hand on James' right shoulder and her left hand on his left side, and began to slowly ease him down back against her. Sure, it was working, but he was bringing Kendall with him. They were going to look like fallen dominoes. Camille pressed her lips against James' ear, "Shhh. It's okay, James, you can let go of Kendall. He's not going anywhere." she whispered. After a few seconds, James loosened his grip on Kendall and let himself recline back onto Camille. Kendall situated himself into an upright sitting position on the edge of the bed and grabbed a hold of James' hand again, not wanting to lose contact. Camille felt James take a shuddering breath against her and he rested the back of his head against her left shoulder. "There you go. Everything's all right, James. We aren't going to leave." she said. His silky hair spread out against the bare skin of her collarbone and she resisted the urge to let out a "meep!" at the way it tickled. Now that the two of them were lying somewhat on the left side of the bed, Kendall took the opportunity to claim the empty spot on the right. He pulled the blankets back a little and slid his legs underneath them, moving to snuggle closer to Camille. James was balanced at the moment, halfway on top of Camille, so she put her right arm around Kendall's shoulders. James was quiet, still attempting to gain control over his breathing, but all of them were comfortably situated now. Kendall glanced up at Camille through his fair bangs, and shot her a distressed look. No, they had definitely not been expecting it to be this bad.

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><p><strong>Please review! Have a great Independence Day, ya'll! :D<strong>


	6. Progress?

**AN: Hey, guys! :D Did all of you have a good Independence Day? **

**Thank you SO much for all of the reviews! I appreciate every single one I get and they definitely encourage me to write more! Here's the next chapter! **

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything**

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><p>Camille picked up the Styrofoam cup of steaming hot green tea and walked over to her table in the hospital cafeteria. She let out a small "oomph" as she sat down in the cold, hard booth. Glancing over, she looked at Kendall sympathetically. His head was resting on his folded arms, his long bangs sprawled out on the surface of the table and covering his eyes. Camille set the cup of green tea in front of him and ran her fingers through his hair. Kendall raised his head up to peer into the steaming cup and after seeing that it was green tea, sat up straight. "Thanks, Camille." he said, putting one arm around her and picking up the cup with his other hand. "Mmhhmm" Camille replied, leaning against his shoulder and deeply inhaling the wonderful "Kendall" smell. Camille's favorite nurse (sarcasm) had come back only a half an hour after James had fallen asleep on top of Camille, and she had claimed that it was time for them to go so that her "patient can get rest". Um, didn't this snotty nurse notice that HE HAD BEEN ASLEEP! It had taken Kendall and Camille another ten minutes to get the poor, tired thing to let them leave for a little awhile, and to reassure him that they would be back to visit him in no time. The look on James' face when they'd left (unwillingly) had Camille nearly murderous. Kendall had put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, not as a loving gesture but more of a restraining "don't kill the nurse". Camille sighed as she remembered everything that had happened just five minutes ago. Gosh, had it only been five minutes? It seemed like hours since she was pried away from James. Kendall rested his head on top of hers and wrapped his other arm around her, too. "He's so scared, Kendall. What are we going to do?" Camille whispered, her words slightly muffled by the fabric of his shirt. "We're going to take good care of him, and we'll take one step at a time." Kendall replied. The deep vibration of his chest as he spoke and the sound of his beating heart had a strange, instant calming effect on her. Camille nodded against him, confident that Kendall would make the right decisions to help James. Camille honestly didn't know what she would do without her Kendall. The hospital cafeteria was nearly deserted, and Mrs. Knight, Logan, and Carlos had left to take Katie home and get some sleep. Of course, Mrs. Knight had tried to talk Camille and Kendall into coming home for some rest and food, as well, but like that was ever gonna happen! Camille didn't care if she had to live in the hospital for an unknown amount time, she was not going to leave Kendall OR James. Since Kendall refused to leave the hospital, if Camille left…she <em>would<em> be leaving both of them, and that just didn't work for her. The furniture was painful, the food tasted kind of funny, the coffee was roasted to the point of an unbearable taste, and so far…Camille wasn't making friends with any one but Dr. Andy. However, none of that even mattered when it came to sticking by her boys. "Get some sleep, Camille. I'll let you know as soon as we can go back in with James." Kendall said, stroking her hair. Camille nodded and the two of them headed back to the waiting room to get some sleep on the cushioned bench, which was now dubbed their "bed".

Things fell into a routine for the next day and a half. The six of them would take turns staying with James until they were finally kicked out, some of them would go home for a few hours, and the rest would stay behind to sleep at the hospital. During their visiting time, James was quiet for the most part. The combination of his poor health and the medications he was on caused him to sleep for three-quarters of the time. The other quarter was spent just staring at the ceiling of his hospital room or making very, very short conversation. His fever never dropped below 100.5 despite the many antibiotics he was on, and Dr. Andy confessed that it would more than likely stay that way until both the sepsis and pneumonia cleared up. Soreness was settling in on top of the bruised ribs, cuts, and scrapes; and James still didn't remember anything about the time he was missing. After a total of being in the hospital for 55 hours, the entire staff decided to let James go home. The combination of his not being in his own bed, the fact that he would feel safer at home, and the way both he and his family despised the times when he couldn't have visitors, confirmed Dr. Andy's assumptions that James might just recover better at home. With written instructions for meds, prohibitions, rest, and nourishment, Mrs. Knight, Carlos, Logan, Katie, Kendall, Camille, and James were officially allowed to go home.

"Good morning" Camille greeted as she entered room 101. The atmosphere needed a little bit of cheerfulness…it felt like Dementors had come and gone. James was sitting on the side of the hospital bed, his long legs dangling off of the edge, one arm wrapped loosely around his ribs, and in nothing but a pair of extremely soft looking, gray sweat pants. Camille walked over and hoisted herself up to sit beside him. "Boy, do I have news for you." she exclaimed joyfully. James turned to make eye contact with her, and Camille was reminded of just how awful he looked. Dark shadows made his hazel eyes look even more tired, his cheeks were rosy (rosier than usual) from fever, but the rest of him was still slightly pale. James' skin always had a tan, healthy glow and that was absent, which made him look even more ill. Large bandages were wrapped around his torso from the waistband of his low-rise sweatpants, all the way to his muscular pecs, but Camille still knew that an array of colors were hidden beneath the white clothe. She put her arm around his waist gently, letting her hand rest palm-open on the bandages, "James, buddy, you get to come home today." she said. James eyes grew huge and a smile spread across his lips. "Really?" he asked excitedly. Camille nodded and grinned at him. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he exclaimed, attempting to get off of the bed. "Whoa…whoa!" Camille said, putting her other arm out in front of him to stop him from leaving. "The others still have some things to do first". James' smile got a little smaller at this comment, but it stayed. He nodded and let out a small sigh. Camille hopped off of the bed and stood in front of him, his height making her eye level with him even though he was seated. "I've got to go back to the house to do a few things, but Kendall, Carlos, and Logan will be here in a little bit to bring you home. 'Kay?" she said. James nodded, his eyes still shining with excitement to finally leave the hospital. Camille wrapped her arms around his neck (due to the lack of anywhere else to safely put her arms around) and hugged him gently. The soft skin at the nape of his neck and his shoulder blades was still warm against her fingers, but the intensity of it was a significant improvement from the first day he had arrived at the hospital. James put his right arm around her tiny waist and returned the hug. "I'll see you in a little bit. At home." she said, winking at him to make sure his smile stayed put for awhile longer. Just like that, his smile actually got wider and he nodded. Camille continued to smile at him until she finally turned around to leave the room. She had a list of things to do today and it was going well so far. Make James smile: Check!

"Whatchya doing?" asked a voice from the doorway. Camille turned around and smiled at Katie. "Well, I'm pretty sure that those hospital bed are made out of cement and the sheets are sandpaper, so I'm trying to make this as comfy as possible." Camille answered, stripping the last sheet off of James' bed. "Do you need any help?" Katie asked, leaving her spot at the doorway to stand next to Camille. "Sure. Why don't you grab some extra blankets from the closet in the hall for me?" Camille answered and Katie left to do just that. The two of them managed to get the softest pair of hunter green sheets that they owned (James' favorite) onto his bed, along with several other fuzzy blankets and two extra body pillows. Once they were finished, Camille high-fived Katie, "Thanks for your help." she said. "Thanks for adopting Logan, too. Kendall and I appreciate all the help we can get as we play musical beds for awhile." Camille said and they both laughed. Yeah, Katie was technically adopting Logan. In order to make sure that James got plenty of rest, and everyone was available to help him, several people had changed their beds. Logan had moved his bed into a corner in Katie's room, Carlos claimed the living room couch, and Kendall had moved his and Camille's bed into Logan's room. After a long day of moving furniture, Carlos had the couch, Logan and Katie shared a room, James had a room to himself, and Kendall and Camille were in Logan's room next to James'. In the long run, no one really knew if that would make a difference, but it certainly made all of them feel better. "Sure thing. I'll happily 'adopt' Logan. It's Carlos that snores like there's not tomorrow." Katie confessed. Camille and Katie looked at each other and burst out laughing. That was so true. Carlos tended to snore quite loudly, James snored softly only once in awhile, and Kendall talked in his sleep. Logan was a quiet angel while he slept…and everyone appreciated that. Camille threw her arm around Katie's shoulder and they both left James' bedroom. His bed was prepared and smelled strongly of Downy, and all hip-level furniture was moved elsewhere. Now it was time to finally bring James home.

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><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEW! :D Because you guys had an unusually long wait between updates (due to the holiday), I'll post ANOTHER chapter super soon…that is, of course, if you guys want it! ;) So, review and let me know if you want the next chapter soon than later! <strong>


	7. Home

**AN: Hey, guys! How's it going? You reviewed, therefore you get another chapter! :D I stay true to my word, buddies!**

**Okay, I'm not sure how many of you saw Big Time Break Up, but the cute little hug that James and Kendall have at the very end? THE MOST ADORABLE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN! I love those sweet moments between the boys! It makes me heart them even more! Also, of course, it makes me want to write a super cute friendship story between Kendall and James… *runs off to start writing another fan fiction* ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

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><p><em>Five. Four. Three. Two. One.<em> The door to 2J opened and Kendall and Logan walked into the apartment supporting James. James looked exhausted, but overjoyed to finally be home. The corners of Camille's mouth turned up in a small smile at the sight of the adorable grin on his face. Carlos came in a few seconds after the other three boys, and he set James' duffle bag onto the dining room table. Kendall and Logan eased James down into a cushioned, straight-backed chair at the kitchen counter and helped him get comfortable. "Welcome home!" Camille exclaimed happily, hugging James gently once he was situated. "It's good to be here." he replied, still smiling. "Home isn't the same without you, sweetheart." Mrs. Knight said, lovingly rubbing James' uninjured shoulder. James tilted his head up to smile at her. Kendall walked over and put his arms around Camille's waist from behind, "Hey there, gorgeous. How are you?" he asked, his lips grazing her ear. Camille smiled and leaned her head back against his shoulder, "Much better now that we are all home. How about you?" she replied. "Much in agreement with you, and dandy" he said, smoothing her curls back and kissing her bare neck. Camille turned around to engulf him in a hug from the front. Everyone was home. Everyone was safe. Everything was okay.

"We" Camille began, waltzing into the kitchen "are going to make cookies." James looked up from his bowl of chicken noodle soup, "What do you mean 'we'?" he asked. Camille laughed and reached over the counter to ruffle his hair. "Meaning you and I. James and Camille. You are going to help me, because I'm making them from scratch this time." she replied. James raised one eyebrow and continued to stare at her as he took another sip of his broth. "I don't really…I don't know how to cook." he muttered, embarrassed. "No need, my boy, you'll only have to stir the ingredients." Camille replied, grinning. James let out a small laugh and watched Camille as she gathered the ingredients. Logan and Carlos were playing video games, Kendall had taken Katie to the pool, and Mrs. Knight was reading a book. The thing with Katie was, she needed to feel like she was helping or she usually walked around the house with a heartbreaking look on her face. So, until Katie had her time to help, either with James or housework, everyone was taking turns keeping her occupied. James was also in desperate need of a distraction. Sitting in a chair and having nothing to think about other than the pain he is in, isn't exactly what the doctor had in mind when she sent him home. James carefully watched Camille cook with wide, curious hazel eyes as if she were doing some major medical procedure. Ten minutes later, Camille handed him the bowl of ingredients and a measuring cup full of chocolate chips. "Okay, James. It's your time to shine. Add the chocolate, and stir like there's no more tomorrow. I'll prepare the cookie sheet". James nodded, and Camille could see him mouth her instructions to himself adorably. Camille went over to the other side of the kitchen and began to prepare the oven. A few minutes later, she turned around and her jaw dropped. The chocolate chips had been stirred into the mixing bowl, and the wooden spoon (with a heaping pile of cookie dough) was on the way to it's destination: James' mouth. Camille couldn't contain her gasp and James' lips formed a smile around the spoon. In one smooth move, he finished licking the cookie dough off of the spoon and he held the empty wooden utensil out to her innocently. Camille laughed out loud at the look on his face, and it was obviously contagious, because James began to laugh with her. "You have NO self control, do you?" Camille asked, still laughing. James shook his head and grinned at her, his moderately-feverish rosy cheeks making him even more adorable. Camille stirred the cookie dough for a minute and then paused to look up at James with a conflicted expression. James looked at her, confused as to why the sudden change in attitude. "Is it really good?" she whispered. James licked his lips in confirmation and nodded, "Mmhhmm." he replied, smiling. Camille looked around the apartment, at Mrs. Knight absorbed in her book, and Carlos and Logan being violently animated as they played their video game. Camille rolled a cookie-sized piece of the raw dough into a ball and popped it in her mouth. James' grin grew even wider as he watched her eat the extremely unhealthy pleasure. "Oh, man. That's really good." she mumbled, her mouth still full of the chocolate. James laughed, as carefully as he could for his ribs, and he continued to smile throughout the rest of their baking session. Tension disappeared, James actually made conversation while the cookies were in the oven, and the two of them had an unbelievably good time for another hour and a half. No one needed to know, but between the two of them… they managed to eat what was equivalent to around a dozen cookies in raw dough.

"What in the world is going on?" exclaimed Kendall as he and Katie arrived back home in their swimwear. The kitchen was a disaster, Camille and James were both holding their sides and laughing hysterically. "Oh, nothing…" Camille said, grinning. Both James and Camille had goofy-looking guilty expressions, and Kendall couldn't contain his laughter. "Uh huh. Sure." Kendall said, raising one famous eyebrow. "Alright, James. It's been fun, but it's rest and medication time." Camille said, a feeling of sadness washed over her as if she had just cancelled a block party. James nodded, his smile fading at the mention of his meds. Camille had honestly never been on any heavy duty painkillers, and James had told her before that he didn't like the way they made him feel. Dr. Andy had pulled Mrs. Knight, Camille, and Kendall aside to warn them that nausea, sleeplessness, fatigue, tremors, and hallucinations were all common side effects. Of course, everyone reacted to medications differently, but this news had all of them worried about James. "Do I have to? I think I'll be okay without it for awhile, I just…I just don't want to take it." James said. Camille swallowed and bit down on her lower lip. Yes, she would give anything to not have to make James take the painkillers…but they were the doctor's orders. "I'm sorry, James, but you have to for a little while." Camille said apologetically. James nodded once and dropped his gaze to stare at the cookie on his plate. Camille grabbed the medications from the bathroom cabinet and handed the several pills to James. He hesitated briefly, but took them obediently. The minute his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the painkillers, Camille felt like she had just poisoned a loved one. Kendall walked out of his bedroom in his sweatpants and t-shirt, towel drying his damp hair. "What's with the grim faces?" he asked casually. Kendall's eyes fell to the prescription bottle on the counter and he grimaced. Without waiting for an answer, he went back out into the living room. "Okay, it's only 6:30pm, but I think we should all head to bed." Camille suggested, rounding the counter to sit next to James. "Hmm?" she said, brushing his dark bangs to the side and away from the bandage that covered a gash. James nodded, leaning into her touch a little. His fever was still present, just not as bad, even the slightest cool touch seemed to make him feel better. "Hey, Kendall? Logan? Will you two come help me for a sec?" Camille called. Within a few seconds, both Kendall and Logan showed up to help Camille get James into his bedroom. Once they were in the doorway, James' lips parted in awe at the sight of his bed. "You guys gave me the fluffy sheets?" he exclaimed happily. Camille, Kendall, and Logan nodded, smiling at James' excitement. It took about twenty minutes, but the two guys managed to get James dressed into his pajamas, and then Camille helped him get situated in bed with everything he needed. "Alright, Kendall and I are next door if you need anything." Camille said and James nodded. "Thanks for the help, Camille. I had a lot of fun today." he said and put his right arm out, silently asking permission for a hug. "Likewise, James." Camille replied, complying to hug him. "Goodnight." James said as Camille pulled away and began to leave. "'Night." Camille whispered and turned off the light. "Goodnight, guys!" Camille shouted to Carlos and Logan, who were STILL playing video games. "Goodnight!" Carlos shouted. Logan turned his head away from the screen to look at Camille, "Goodnight! See you in the morning!" he replied. Camille began to walk back down the hallway and she heard Carlos exclaim "Ah ha! You lost!" and then Logan reply with "Hey! Not fair! I glanced over at Camille for just a second"! Camille smirked as the sound of their arguing faded away while she entered Kendall's bedroom. As much as she would love to stay up and play video games with them, she was really, REALLY ready to get some sleep.

Kendall let out a long sigh once he slid slowly into the cool sheets on his bed and Camille smiled. "Why does it seem like today was more like two days?" he asked, putting one arm around her shoulders. "Stress…and technically, you and I _have_ been up for a very long time. I don't think we've gotten a good night's sleep since last week." Camille answered. Kendall nodded and exhaled deeply. The ceiling fan was going on medium speed, the sheets were cool against their skin, and the six pillows on the bed felt like they were made of pure fluffiness - it was definitely nap time. " Thanks for distracting James today." Kendall said, smoothing a finger down her cheek. "No problem." Camille whispered. As sexy as it was, the combination of both of them having fresh minty breath was making their eyes water. "I love you. So much." Kendall said, kissing her deeply. Camille returned the kiss, reveling in the silky-smooth feeling of his lips. "I love you, too." she whispered. It was true, and Camille could never say it enough to fully convey how much she loved Kendall Donald Knight. They both smiled at each other, lips just inches apart for a moment, and then returned to their original position snuggled against each other. It only took three minutes and twenty-seven seconds for the two of them to fall into a deep sleep, but the question was…how long would it last?

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><p><strong>So, I decided to make this chapter a little bit more uplifting, and I don't know about ya'll, but I can honestly picture James being all cute while baking! Haha :P <strong>

**Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter! :)  
><strong>

**Also, you guys should check out "Remembering Chase" by CandySmile! A hurt/comfort/friendship fan fiction starring Kendall, Camille, and Logan! It's super good so far and I have a feeling it's gonna get even better! :D**


	8. The First Night

**AN: Hi, buddies! Thank you SO much for all of the reviews/favorites! You guys are great! Because you are awesome and review, here's another update! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Warning: Angst!**

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><p>"NO! PLEASE!"<p>

Camille jumped violently at the sound of the shouts and scrambled out of the sheets. Kendall was one step ahead of her, though, and was out of the mess of blankets in a millisecond. He threw open the bedroom door and ran out into the hallway. Camille sank back down onto the bed, heart still beating like a hummingbird's, and decided she'd let Kendall get this one.

"Please! Don't!" came another shout, and she heard a few things hitting the wall beside her…in James' room.

"Ah! James, calm down!" she heard Kendall shout. Screw it. Camille jumped up again and ran out the hallway. James' bedroom door was open, only a small light was on in the far corner….and James and Kendall were fighting. James was obviously stuck in a nightmare, and in his mind…it wasn't Kendall that he was attacking. Meanwhile, Kendall was trying to be as gentle as possible while struggling to keep James from hurting himself any further.

Camille rushed over to the thrashing figures, "James!" she called, hoping that her familiar voice might do something to bring him back to reality. She couldn't even tell who was who in the dark, but she didn't want to blind them by turning on the light. The one figure stopped fighting and sat up suddenly. Camille jumped onto the bed and knelt beside him.

"James? James, can you hear me?" she asked. James put one hand to his chest, trying to breathe. His fight with Kendall had disrupted his already abused ribs, and now he was thinking himself into a panic attack.

"James, breathe. You're okay, just breathe." Camille instructed, putting one hand on the side of his face. James nodded rapidly and tried to exhale and inhale normally. Suddenly, a light illuminated the bedroom enough so the figures were visible, and Logan and Katie came running into the room. Camille turned around to look at Kendall, and her mouth dropped open. A large red mark stood out against the pale skin of his jaw, and blood was dripping down from his split lower lip all the way down his neck. James was obviously stronger than he looked at the moment.

"Katie, help Camille with James. Kendall, come to the kitchen with me." Logan said, setting his tap light down on the dresser. Kendall left with Logan and Katie hopped up onto the bed with Camille. Camille brushed back James' sweaty bangs and kissed his forehead. James let out a strangled sob and wrapped his right arm around his waist.

"James. James, look at me." Camille whispered. James' wide, hazel eyes finally landed on Camille and he nodded.

"You're safe." she said, and James carefully, and hesitantly laid back down. She straightened the blankets and pulled them back up to his chest. "I'll be right back." she reassured. "Katie? Stay with him while I go check on your brother." Camille said. Wide eyed, Katie nodded and comfortingly took James' hand.

Kendall was seated on a bar stool at the counter, while Logan held his head steady with one hand and cleaned Kendall's lip with the other. "Are you okay?" Camille asked, sitting on a barstool next to him. Kendall squeezed his eyes shut as Logan applied more of a clear liquid onto his lip, but he nodded. Camille grabbed one of the damp towels on the counter and wiped away some of the blood on his chin and neck. This was absolutely crazy…it was only 3:15am! She reached out and gingerly touched the rapidly growing bruise on his jaw, "Ouch." she guessed.

"I'm just glad it wasn't you that rushed in there." Kendall said, wincing as Logan continued to clean his lip.

"Okay, Kendall. Just hold this ice pack on your jaw for a while and try not to talk too much until your lip heals itself a little." Logan said, gently pressing the ice against Kendall's skin for him. Kendall flinched and shied away from the extreme cold, but nodded.

"Thanks, Logan." Camille said. "Sure thing. Is James okay?" Logan asked. "Honestly? Not really." she replied. Logan looked her sadly and headed towards the bedroom to retrieve Katie. Camille reached over and put her hand on the side of Kendall's face that hadn't fallen victim to James' nasty right hook.

"Remind me never to get on James' bad side." Kendall whispered carefully around his split lip. Camille smirked and kissed the side of his face.

"Take some aspirin and go on to bed. I'm going to stay with James for a bit until he calms downs a little." she said. Kendall nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist in a side hug. Camille looked down, just now noticing that he was in a t-shirt and dark blue boxer briefs. She raised one eyebrow at him and smiled. Kendall just shook his head, a small grin playing on his lips. Giggling lightly, Camille headed back towards James' bedroom. "Camille?" Kendall asked, and she turned around.

"Help James…please?" he asked. Camille just nodded, the sad and scared look on his face nearly killing her. "I will." she replied.

Katie was sitting next to James, still holding his hand, and using her other hand to pet his hair awkwardly. James was lying on his back, silent sobs wracking his frame visibly. "Thanks for your help, Katie. You can go back to bed now." Camille whispered. Reluctant to leave Camille to pick up the pieces, yet happy to have nothing more to do with the awkward comforting part, Katie left James' bedroom silently.

"Hey, there." Camille said softly, laying down next to James. Turning carefully onto his side, James scooted closer to Camille and buried his face in her shirt. Camille wrapped one arm around his bare shoulders, and ran her fingers soothingly through his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." James sobbed.

"Oh, James, hon, none of this is your fault." Camille whispered. She pulled his shaking form closer to her and pulled the blankets over the two of them.

"Shhh. Everything's going to be just fine." Camille said, attempting to console him before he caused irreversible damage to his ribs. "Try to get some sleep?" she suggested. James unburied his face from her shirt and looked up at her, tears streaming down his cheeks, "I can't" he said, voice breaking. Sleeplessness. Real nice. Camille smoothed his hair back out of his eyes, "Just try. I'll stay right here with you." she whispered.

Sad, hazel eyes framed by dark eyelashes looked up at her for a moment, and Camille watched James sympathetically. There was nothing worse than when you're tired, and sleep refuses to come to you. Camille adjusted the blankets around them a few times, noticing the goose bumps covering his bare arms, and resituated herself into a more comfortable position on her side. Maybe if _she_ looked comfy and tired…he would fall sleep? Yeah, probably not… Camille gently smoothed James' bangs to the side and played with the soft strands that flipped up on the side right above his brow. She didn't even know if he was trembling from the fever, the nightmare, or the painkillers.

Camille felt James shift slightly and he looked up at her. "Is Kendall all right?" he asked in a whisper. Be honest with him or lie to make him feel better? That was the question in Camille's mind. Just as she was about to tell James that Kendall hadn't been hit, her favorite quote came to mind. _"Oh, what a web we weave when first we practice to deceive."_ by Sir Walter Scott. Camille had done a paper on him for a high school project and now it was coming back to haunt her. She let out a small, exasperated sigh and looked down at James.

"He's going to have a nasty bruise, but he's okay." she answered. Camille could almost instantly see the guilt clouding James' features and she tilted his chin up slightly so he could look at her again. "It's not your fault, James. Kendall tried to hold you down so you wouldn't hurt yourself and your reaction was perfectly normal." she insisted. James looked at her for a moment, hopefully pondering the genuine sense that her words made, but then laid his head back down against her. Well, at least she had tried.

Camille guessed that about an hour went by before James calmed down. She was just thankful that he was finally getting some sleep. Although, she had a feeling that the only reason he fell asleep was because he was an hour and a half late for another dose of meds. Was she going to wake him up to make him take another dose of the hellish medication? Hell no! James was starting to suffer from most of the side effects listed by Dr. Andy, and Camille wasn't happy. She sighed and looked over at the figure beside her. Yes, James was asleep, but he was extremely restless and Camille felt so bad for him. Couldn't the boy just get some sleep without any problems? As if on cue, James shifted once again over to the other side of the bed, one of his long legs bumping into her slightly. Camille was going to take a risk, and leave him be for the rest of the night.

Moving as slow as a snail, Camille slipped out from underneath the blankets and crept over to the other side of the bed. James was lying at an angle, both arms wrapped tightly around one of his body pillows, and his dark hair splayed out across the hunter green sheet on the mattress. Well, he looked comfortable enough for now. Satisfied, Camille tiptoed out of the bedroom, leaving the door partially open. Now, to find her boyfriend.

When Camille checked, Kendall was not in the living room OR his bedroom. She stood in the hallway, utterly confused. Where could he have gone? Then, it dawned on her. Silently, Camille pushed the door to Katie's room open. The small, pink lamp in the corner was on, lighting up the room just enough to see who was in there. Logan was in his bed, in a deep sleep. Katie was lying on her back on top of her bed, but she wasn't alone. Kendall had one arm wrapped around her waist and his head, bruised side up, was resting on her stomach. Both knees were curled up to his chest, so his legs wouldn't dangle off the side, and he was asleep. Camille smiled at the adorable sight and walked over to Katie, who was surprisingly still awake.

"He wanted to stay up and wait for you, so he came in here to talk to me. He fell asleep after a half an hour." Katie whispered. Now closer, Camille saw that Katie had one small hand resting on Kendall's back, and the other hand was gently smoothing down his hair. You could travel worldwide, and you wouldn't find a cuter or stronger sibling relationship than Kendall and Katie's. Camille grimaced as she saw the nasty purple and blue bruise on Kendall's delicate skin. That was a big ouch.

"You need your sleep, Katie. What do you want me to do?" she whispered. "I'm okay, don't move him." Katie replied and Camille nodded. Katie moved her hand away from Kendall's hair and patted the empty spot on the other side of them. Smiling, Camille climbed underneath the blankets beside the two of them. Funny how they had all changed beds for James' arrival home, but three of them ended up in one bed anyway.

Katie reached over and clicked off her lamp, "Is James okay?" she asked. Camille was glad that it was dark enough so she couldn't see Katie's puppy-dog eyes. Those emotion-filled eyes were certainly something she had in common with her brother. "He's asleep right now, but it's going to take some time." she whispered back. "Okay. Goodnight, Camille." Katie replied.

"Goodnight, Katie." Camille whispered. As she reflected on the past few hours, Camille couldn't help but be discouraged. James had not even been home for 24 hours, and things were going far from planned.

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><p><strong>Click that review button and let me know what you thought! As usual, reviews pretty much guarantee another update sooner than I originally planned! So, do you guys want the next chapter in a couple of days, or wait until next weekend? ;)<strong>


	9. Unwelcome Weather

**AN: Thank you for the reviews! :D Here's the next chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

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><p>Any other week, any other month, Camille would have enjoyed a beautiful summer rainstorm. However, considering the events that had transpired during the last storm, the picture of the rain cloud with the word "<em>thunder" <em>written across it on the weather channel was an unwelcome site. The search for James' attacker wasn't going anywhere, and Camille would give anything to have the help of Carlos's father, and to have Kendall's dad back. The combination of Mr. Garcia being a police officer and Mr. Knight having been a lawyer…it would have been very helpful to have them during this time. Camille worried that if they didn't catch the attacker, James would never rest easily.

Camille turned off the TV and resumed towel-drying her messy curls. Carlos and Logan had left (albeit grouchily) to go to dance practice at Rocque Records with Mr. X this morning. Out of the occasionally-present goodness of his heart, Gustavo had actually called Mrs. Knight this morning to tell her that James could take a few days off. Although, considering the recent happenings, anything less from anybody would be considered heartless. Katie had gone down to the lobby to stock up on fruit smackers and harass Mr. Bitters while Mrs. Knight ran a few errands that were way past due. Which left Camille with two, still-sleeping boys.

It had taken awhile, but Katie had managed to squeeze out from underneath Kendall without disrupting him and he was _still _asleep. He had slept throughout the entire night on top of Katie in the exact position that he had fallen asleep in. Luckily, Kendall wasn't due to go in for his dance practice session for another hour and forty-five minutes. James, thankfully, had not woken since Camille left him last night at 5:30am. Of course she frequently checked on him, but sleep was just as, maybe even more, healing as the medication that he should have taken four hours ago.

James had fallen victim to the brutal side effects of the painkillers, though, and Camille felt guilty every time she gave it to him. The antibiotics were supposed to be taken every 12 hours, as opposed to the painkillers, which were every 6-8 hours. That was completely unfortunate, because it wasn't the antibiotics that made James sick. Upon realizing that she was drying her hair a little too vigorously, Camille hung the fluffy towel back onto the rack in the bathroom and headed to wake Kendall up.

It truly was an odd sight, Kendall lying curled up in a ball in the middle of a bed filled with pink and purple sheets. Camille smiled and sat down next to where his head was resting. Poor thing, Kendall's bruise had spread all the way across his jaw line and cheek, and it was quite colorful.

Camille grinned mischievously as she saw the large space of bare back between his shirt and pajama pants that his odd sleeping position had created. Unable to resist, she trailed her finger across the soft, bare skin and up further underneath his shirt. Goose bumps instantly spread across his skin and he shifted his position a little in response to the ticklish touch. Camille's grin grew wider at how adorable he was even while he was sleeping and she moved her hand up to smooth across the bruise on his cheek with a delicate touch. Kendall stretched out his legs and rolled onto his back, exposing his bare waist and navel. Camille cocked her head to the side as she studied him, she was, and always would be, awestruck by how perfectly handsome Kendall was. Camille reached out, again, and ran her fingertips over the smooth skin of his lower waist and bare hips. Kendall opened his eyes and smiled up at her.

"Well, good morning." Camille greeted. "Good morning, gorgeous." he replied. "There really is nothing as perfect as waking up to you." he stated, sitting up.

Camille grinned at him, blushing at his sweet comment, "Likewise." she said. Kendall leaned over and kissed her, his intoxicating lips nearly making her fall off the bed with happiness. Camille pulled away, only for the sake of oxygen, and smiled at him, again. Kendall smiled back, and she was reminded of just how adorable his dimples were.

"You have to be at dance rehearsal in a little while." Camille said. Oh, what she wouldn't give to let the day pass by without the pressure of life and to stay in Kendall's arms…attached to his lips. Sighing, Kendall stood up and left Katie's bedroom with Camille.

"I have THE headache of the century." Kendall muttered, pressing the heel of his palm against his forehead. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Camille asked, rubbing his arm. Kendall shook his head, "Nah. I'll just take some Tylenol to get me through dance rehearsals. Thank you, though." he replied, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. "Actually, rehearsals end at 3:30pm. So, how about we plan on settling down in a nest and watching a quiet movie?" he suggested. "Sounds great. I'll make some snacks, and get some smoothies, too." Camille replied. Kendall smiled his approval and walked off to take his shower.

Camille quietly approached the bed and sat down on the edge of it. The room darkening curtains made it a little difficult, but she could still see the figure underneath the blankets. "James, it's time to wake up and take your medications." Camille whispered. Reaching out with extreme carefulness, she gently set her hand on his forearm and smoothed her thumb over the warm skin. Thankfully, James woke up calmly this time and looked up at her.

"'Morning. Do you want me to bring you your meds or do you want me to help you get up and walk around for a bit?" Camille asked. James' eyelashes fluttered tiredly, "Can you, um, help me get out to the couch. Please?" he whispered. Camille nodded with a smile, and put her arms out. James folded the blankets back to the end of the bed and slowly swung his legs over the edge of the mattress. Camille put one arm around him, her hand resting gently palm-open on the bandages secured around his slim torso, and helped him stand up. James wrapped his uninjured arm around her shoulders, and the two of them hobbled out to the couch.

"How are you feeling? Warm? Cold? Sore? Jellyish?" Camille asked as he laid down and James smiled at the last option. "Kind of warm, and sore." he replied. "Okay. I'll go get you your medication and then I'll grab some icepacks." Camille said, and walked off towards the kitchen.

Camille was in the middle of filling the ice bag, when the bathroom door behind her opened, steam billowed out unceasingly, and Kendall came out…in just a towel. Camille dropped the ice bag onto the floor in shock, luckily the ice in it didn't scatter across the floor. Kendall smiled at her, his normally-adorable dimples all of a sudden making him look naughty.

The burgundy towel was wrapped loosely (extremely loosely) around his sculpted hips, and due to his height, ended at his knees. His body was still wet from both the shower and the steam, and his damp hair was slicked back. Sure, Camille had seen him shirtless, and even in just a tee shirt and boxer briefs, but THIS…this was something new. Kendall rested his hand on the knot that was keeping the towel closed and bent down to pick up the fallen ice bag. Camille accepted it from him, her mouth still open from shock. Glancing over, she saw that James' eyes were closed, so she pulled Kendall close to her, not caring that drops of water were soaking into her shirt.

"You're kind of cruel, you know that?" Camille said, running her hand through his damp hair. Kendall smiled mischievously and pressed his lips to hers. The taste of cool mint Listerine instantly flooded Camille's mouth, almost knocking the breath out of her, and she wrapped her arms around his bare waist. Her hand easily slid up his wet back and into the damp hair at the nape of his neck, and Kendall's hands went to rest on her lower back.

Yeah, this was the hottest thing Camille had ever done. She pulled away, breathing hard, and they smiled at each other. Her shaking hands hovered over his bare hips and she traced the edge of the towel with her fingers. Kendall had the best sculpted, toned, lithe body she had ever seen…and felt.

"You'd better get dressed before I lose complete control of my actions." Camille warned in a whisper, her hands smoothing over his biceps. Kendall smiled, green eyes sparkling, and kissed her once more before leaving the kitchen. Camille stood there for a moment, heart still pounding, lips still tingling, hands still shaking. _Talk about an invigorating and exciting relationship. He's an invigorating, exciting, HOT __**man**_, she thought before finally finishing her original task of filling the ice bag.

Camille gathered the prescriptions bottles and ice bags into her arms and walked over to the couch where James was lying. She took the time that his eyes were closed to study him. His skin was warm, his cheeks still rosier than normal, and a thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead and moistened his hair. He was still in just sweatpants, and Logan would have to help her rewrap his ribs with new bandages once he got home. James just looked like the definition of "ill".

Camille sat down next to him on the edge of the couch and smoothed his damp bangs off to the side, out of his eyes. James' dark eyelashes fluttered and glossy hazel eyes looked up at her. "Hey, there." Camille greeted, uncapping the prescription bottles. She cupped the back of his head gently, lifting it slightly so he could swallow the pills with a sip of water. What bothered Camille was James' lack of protest against taking the painkillers. Camille helped him lower back down against the couch pillow and she let her hand rest on his right shoulder. She grabbed the ice bags and placed them strategically on top of his bandaged ribs, making sure to put them directly where the worst of the damage was.

James momentarily stiffened underneath the cold, but then relaxed onto the couch and exhaled deeply. "I was just about to make myself something for lunch, you hungry?" Camille asked casually, getting up and striding over to the kitchen. "Sure, I'll take a little of whatever you are having." James replied quietly.

Camille smiled, eating - that was a step forward. Kendall came out of his bedroom, thankfully dressed in black jeans and a green plaid shirt this time. "Alright, I'm heading to the studio." he announced. Kendall walked over to the couch to say "goodbye" to James. Camille sucked in a breath, wishing he hadn't done that, because James hadn't seen the damage to Kendall's jaw yet. James' mouth dropped open as Kendall approached him, " Kendall!" he exclaimed, guilt clouding his features. Kendall grimaced, just now realizing his mistake.

"It's fine, man. Just a little bruise. It was partially my fault." Kendall explained, trying to make it sound like no big deal. "No, it was all me. I'm so sorry." James apologized. Kendall ruffled James' hair gently and patted his shoulder, "Don't worry about it, buddy. I'm fine. I'm heading off to the studio for a bit, so behave while I'm gone." Kendall teased. James nodded, still in shock at the damage he had done to his best friend's face.

Camille handed Kendall a few Tylenol for his headache on the sly and hugged him. "Don't overdo it today. I'll see you later?" Camille said, kissing him softly. Kendall nodded and smiled his farewell at her and James. Camille watched as Kendall closed the apartment door and then she turned back to preparing a few sandwiches for lunch.

All right, it's 11:30am…what on EARTH was she supposed to do to keep James occupied for four hours? She glanced out the window, trying to look as casual as possible, and winced. It was getting cloudy and windy, the weather forecast had been right about the nasty storm coming. Now what…

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><p><strong>No, this chapter wasn't AS angsty as the last one, but trust me...things are gonna get SO angsty that you may have to buy Kleenex in bulk! So, review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Hopefully, (if you guys want it) I'll be able to update before next weekend! Not unless you review, though! :D<br>**


	10. Memories

**AN: Hi, there, guys! Sorry, I was going to post this update yesterday, but I had a sudden idea and ended up writing and posting a new BTR fan fiction! Haha! If you haven't read it yet, it's called "The Hardships of Goodbye". Go check it out and let me know what you think! :D**

**Before I let you read this chapter, I must say that I'm awestruck that I have over 40 reviews! You peeps are SO awesome! When I first started publishing my stories on here, I NEVER, EVER thought I would get so many reviews for a story! THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D I'm really glad that ya'll are enjoying the story! Grazie tanto, amici! :) **

**Here's an early update for you awesome peoples!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.**

**Warning: Angst!**

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><p>She was torn. Her heart was racing with anticipation, and she knew she was probably chewing a hole through her lower lip.<p>

Camille shifted uncomfortably, feeling a little under pressure. She needed to ask him this question, so many things depended on it, but what if he didn't say yes? However, if he DID say yes, it could change the outcome of everything. As it is, their relationship had been through the ringer because of the last few similar exchanges they'd had.

Camille swallowed hard, trying to calm down for the sake of her nerves. She needed to get this over with. "Do you have any twos?" she asked, one eyebrow quirking up.

James sighed sympathetically, "Go fish." he said.

"Uh! Whatever…" Camille exclaimed dramatically, and grabbed another card from the deck. James was slowly beating her at this game of Go Fish…okay, he had won the past ten games actually. However, as fun as it had been, they were both getting bored with it…and it was only 12:30pm. Camille sighed and set down her cards. "Okay, James, I'm getting kinda bored. What should we do next?" she asked.

James shifted slightly on the couch and winced, "I don't know. Can we just watch a movie?" he suggested. Camille nodded and got up from the table, James' wincing not going unnoticed by her. "Time for some ice, again?" she asked. James shook his head and sucked in a breath. "No…could you get me a few hot packs, though? Please?" he asked.

Camille frowned at him once she was in the kitchen and he couldn't see her. She activated a few hot packs in the kitchen and came back to the couch. "Are you cold?" Camille asked, seeing the goose bumps covering his bare arms. James nodded, "Yeah, kinda". Her frown deepening, Camille applied the hot packs to the worst of the areas of his torso and then she sat down at his feet.

"How are you feeling otherwise?" she asked. James looked up at her, his tired eyes conveying most of how he was feeling. He shook his head, "I don't feel very good." he said softly. Camille got up from the couch and knelt down on the floor to look at him. "What can I do to help?" she whispered.

James closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Camille casually smoothed his bangs back (and they stayed that way), and this enabled her to check the warmth of his skin as well as try to provide a little bit of comfort. James' forehead was warmer than she wanted it to be and Camille didn't like how sweat-dampened his hair was. James didn't even answer her question, his eyes stayed closed, his adam's apple bobbing with the effort to keep in control of his emotions. Camille got up off of the floor and gently motioned for James to sit up a little.

Camille sat down on the couch where his head had been resting and James carefully reclined back down to rest on her lap. "Let's not worry about a movie right now. How about we just rest for a little, okay?" she whispered and James nodded. Camille began to smooth James' bangs back rhythmically as he dosed off. The others weren't due home for a while, so maybe this would be the time to get some much needed rest…since last night hadn't gone so well.

James had been asleep for about twenty minutes, when Camille became aware of how eerily dark it was getting outside. Reaching over slowly, she picked up the TV remote, turned the TV to mute, and flipped to the weather channel. The meteorologists were circling things, coloring things, and their lips were moving fast. Not good. From what Camille could tell, since there was no volume, some serious thunderstorms were on their way.

James tossed his head to the side in his sleep, his hair splaying across Camille's leggings, and Camille moved her hand down to rub his forearm. James may know that they were all there for him while he was awake, but he seemed to think he was alone while sleeping. Camille heard a small rumble of thunder and she stiffened, now was not the time for a big thunderstorm. Couldn't James get some decent sleep around here?

_**BANG!**_ The loudest crack of thunder Camille had ever heard went off and the apartment seemed to shake. James shot up with a gasp, hand clutching the bandages around his waist. "James, it's okay. Just a thunderstorm passing through." Camille said, trying to coax him into lying back down. It wasn't working, though, he was too busy going into panic mode.

Breathing hard, entire body trembling, James wrapped one arm around his ribs and thrust one hand into his hair. Camille gently removed his hand from his hair before he did permanent damage to it's beauty, and brought his other hand away from his torso. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked. James shook his head rapidly, warm tears starting to run down his cheeks, collecting for a moment at his cleft chin, and then slipping down onto his bare chest. "I-I remember s-some of it." he whispered. Camille's heart sped up, "Like what?" she asked. James shook his head, again, and looked at her with wet hazel eyes. "I remember h-him attacking m-me." he whispered, voice breaking. Okay, so that had not been what Camille wanted him to remember. She put one arm around him and he immediately turned into the embrace, his head resting against her shoulder.

"You're safe now, James. Everything's all right." Camille whispered. She pressed her lips to the top of his head, planting a soft kiss in his hair, and wrapped her other arm around him. Camille didn't know if maybe he had remembered something vital to the detectives' investigation, but she was _NOT_ going to ask right now. She smoothed her hand down his bare arm, his muscles tense underneath her fingers as he tried to recover from what he had just experienced.

Camille could feel him shaking against her, and soft sobs were muffled against the fabric of her shirt. The storm continued to rage outside, and James began to tremble even harder in sync with each clap of thunder. His skin was extremely warm against hers, and hot tears soaked through the thin material of her top easily, but Camille didn't care - she just wanted all of this to stop as much as James did. Camille threaded her fingers through his hair consolingly, and James grabbed a fistful of the back of her shirt. "It's all right. You're okay." Camille whispered.

James pulled away from Camille a little, hazel eyes meeting dark brown ones, "Please, Camille, just make them stop." he whispered. Camille was experiencing severe chest pain due to the heartbroken way this boy was looking at her. She reached out and fingered the part of his bangs that curled upwards, "Stop what, James?" she asked.

James blinked, tears from his long eyelashes transferring onto his rosy cheeks in one smooth action. "The nightmares." he said. Camille swallowed hard, the lump in her throat growing by the second. "We will, James. I promise we will." Camille whispered. James nodded, and Camille's arms resumed their position around him. Well, this was a good way to start his second day home…

Another fifteen minutes went before James' sobs died down to the occasional muffled whimper. Tired, he finally laid back down across Camille's lap, his eyes closing involuntarily due to exhaustion. Camille smoothed away a few tears that were left on his cheeks with her fingertips, and then softly brushed his hair out of his eyes. The storm was still going strong outside, but both Camille and James had completely forgotten about it by now.

"Sleep, James. I'll be right here." Camille reassured, and James' nod was barely noticeable. Camille reached over to the other end of the couch, cursing her short limbs, and grasped the heavy blanket that was there. She unfolded it and draped it over James, pulling it up to his shoulders. Within minutes of lying down, James was asleep.

Camille blew out a breath, albeit as quiet as possible, and raked her fingers through her curls, brushing them back out of her face. Ten minutes later, Mrs. Knight walked through the door with Katie behind her, both of them with armfuls of grocery bags. "We're h-" Mrs. Knight broke her shout off upon seeing James asleep, and Katie stopped mid-run to the kitchen and began to tiptoe quietly instead. She put the paper bags on the counter, slipped off her shoes, and came over to the couch.

"Is he okay, Camille?" Katie whispered, standing next to the couch where the two teens were sitting. "Not right now, Katie, but we're working on making sure that he will be." Camille whispered back. She watched Katie look down sadly at James, and then the young girl reached out and gently rested her hand on James' forehead. The corners of Camille's lips turned up in a small smile at how adorable Katie was with the boys. "He's kinda warm…" Katie said, looking up at Camille with a frown. Camille nodded, "Yeah. It's time for more antibiotics, but he just fell asleep. Hey, do you want to do me a favor?" Camille asked and Katie nodded. "Why don't you go dampen one of your mom's super fluffy towels with some cool water and bring it to me. That might help James feel a little better." Camille suggested. Katie nodded, again, and bolted off, happy to be doing something to help.

Mrs. Knight grinned as she watched Katie grab a towel and dampen it to perfection. "Thanks, Katie." Camille replied with a smile as she accepted the towel from her. So carefully that it was almost in slow-motion, Camille smoothed James' hair back and laid the damp towel across his forehead. James turned his a head a little to the side in reaction to the cool clothe, but otherwise he seemed contented with the way it felt. Katie smiled, glad that what she had done was helping, and then went to help Mrs. Knight unload the groceries.

Things were quiet and surprisingly calm for quite some time. Mrs. Knight unloaded the groceries, tidied up the apartment, and then sat down on the other side of the couch to read. Katie, on a helping spree, did some of the laundry and straightened the sheets on James' bed. Camille thought it was a combination of wanting to help, feeling like she wasn't doing enough, and boredom from the lack of normally wild teenage boys entertaining everyone 24/7.

Camille picked the towel up off of James' forehead and gently dabbed the sides of his face and his neck with it. James sighed softly in his sleep and his right hand moved to rest palm-open on his lower abdomen. He looked extremely peaceful as he slept. His temperature was cooling down a little bit, and he seemed to be in a deep, nightmare-free sleep, which was more than enough to make Camille happy. The storm had ended and now just a cool, calming rain was falling.

Kendall, Carlos, and Logan would be home in around 45 minutes from now, and everything was (finally) under control. However, the few things that continued to bug Camille were the following: what exactly did James remember, could he recall who attacked him, and how bad had it all actually been? Camille was starting to think that maybe they _shouldn't_ have hoped that James would remember everything. What if the events that happened to James were better unremembered? Of course, Dr. Andy had done a thorough examination and was positive James had only suffered minor trauma, but still…constantly remembering bits and pieces of being beaten in an alley couldn't be healthy either. Camille sighed and absent-mindedly rubbed James' arm. He was asleep and he was safe - that was all that mattered now…right? Camille tried, and _tried_ to stay positive, but the ONE thing that would forever make her skin crawl, was the fact that the attacker was still out there somewhere.

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><p><strong>Please review! I have one question for ya'll. <strong>

**1. Do you want the next chapter this Thursday or Friday, or would you rather wait until next Monday? **

**It's your decision and your job to review and answer that question, and to let me know what you thought of this chapter! :)  
><strong>


	11. A Long Day

**AN: Hey, guys! Your reviews are so awesome! I have the best readers/reviewers! :D Anonymous reviewers, too, thank you SO much for taking the time let me know what you think of the chapters! I'm SUPER glad that everyone is enjoying this story so far! **

**I was planning on posting this yesterday, like ya'll asked for, but my beta worked a long shift and didn't have time to help me yesterday! So, here's the next chapter NOW!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything…and I never will.**

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><p>Camille stretched her legs and arms out for a minute, gosh, she was stiff. Mrs. Knight had just helped her get out from underneath James and put a pillow there instead. Camille had let James sleep for an hour and a half on her lap, but when all feeling in her legs left for good…Camille decided that it was time to replace herself with a pillow. Katie and Mrs. Knight had even gotten Subway earlier, which Camille had to eat carefully at an awkward angle so as to not disturb James. She glanced up at the clock in the kitchen, the other boys (if they were on time) would be home any minute now.<p>

Mrs. Knight had texted the guys and told them that James was asleep, and to be quiet when arriving home. Camille slipped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She turned and looked in the mirror, grimacing at the sight of her messy hair and ruffled clothing. Camille picked up her hairbrush and ran it through her knotted curls, over and over until they were somewhat smoother. Well, now she just needed to brush her teeth, fix her makeup, and change clothes. Okay, she hoped that the boys ran a little late so she could get this all accomplished.

As if on cue, she heard the apartment door open. Forget it. Camille ran her hands down her shirt, attempting to smooth some of the wrinkles out, and then threw open the door. She almost ran head-on into Kendall, who was in the kitchen, seemingly looking for her. Before she could let out an exclamation and apology, Kendall engulfed her in a huge, good-smelling hug. Camille smiled and wrapped her arms around his warm, toned body.

"I missed you so much" Kendall whispered, still not letting go of her. "I missed you, TOO!" Camille's reply turned into a high-pitched squeal as Kendall gently picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Kendall! What are you doing?" she exclaimed as quietly as she could while Kendall carried her to his bedroom. Kendall didn't reply, he entered his room with her, closed the door with one thrust of his hip, and carefully tossed her onto his bed.

Camille laughed, still not knowing what was going on. "What are you doing?" she asked, again, sitting up and looking at him inquisitively. "I just want some time alone with you." Kendall said, going to kiss her. Camille ducked and hopped off of the bed. "Nah-uh. I just had a Subway sandwich, I can tell that my breath is very onion-y." Camille warned. "Camille, I don't care about that. Now come back over here. Right now." Kendall ordered playfully and Camille shook heard defiantly. Kendall rolled his eyes dramatically and sighed, "Well, I tried." he said.

Camille nodded, happy that he was going to let her brush her teeth before any make-out session. As Camille began to reopen the door, she was once again thrown over Kendall's shoulder and tossed onto his bed. An exclamation of "meep" escaped her lips as she landed softly on the bed and Kendall climbed on top of her. Kendall's dimples appeared as he grinned, putting one leg on either side of her and straddling her. "Camille, you give me no choice." he scolded playfully. Camille giggled and attempted to sit up.

Kendall's calloused, yet soft fingers slid up Camille's arms and held them in place bent at a 90 degree angle against the bed. Camille's heart began to pound in her chest in reaction to the sensual touch and she laid still. Kendall dipped down and pressed his silken lips against hers. His body hovered carefully over her, but close enough that Camille could feel the warmth of it and smell the intoxicating scent of Irish Spring on his skin. Kendall broke of the kiss to look down at her, he smiled at her, his green eyes sparkling. He continued to smile at her for a moment, gazing at her like she was the most beautiful thing in the world, before dipping down to kiss her yet again.

This kiss was different, though, it was stronger and more passionate than anything Camille had ever experienced. It was powerful, but filled with an unmistakable amount of feeling, love, and gentleness. Kendall released her arms after a few seconds, and Camille let her fingers slide up into the hair at the nape of his neck. Kendall gently lowered himself down on top of her, his hands going to rest at her waist, the warmth of his fingers prominent through the material of her shirt. They stayed like that for what seemed like a magical eternity, but it was probably only a few minutes. The two of them broke apart, breathing hard, "That was…amazing." Camille said, trying to hide the fact that her hands were shaking from the excitement. Kendall smiled, "Yeah. We should do that more often." he said. "See, you always taste good." he stated, his lips still inches away from hers,. "Besides, I love the Subway Club sandwich." Kendall said, smiling mischievously. Camille smirked, great…he had even been able to tell what _kind_ of sandwich she had. Oh, well. That had been the hottest four minutes of her life. Kendall smiled at her for a minute and then rolled off of her, holding his hand out to help her up, as well. Camille took his hand, grateful for something to hold onto just in case her legs gave out.

Camille sighed with relief as entered the living room, James was still sleeping peacefully. "I'll be right back." Kendall said, releasing her hand and heading towards the kitchen. Camille nodded and wandered over to the couch to check on James. She rested the back of her hand against James' forehead, frowning at the warmth. As much as she hated it, Camille was going to have to wake him up and give him his medications. She rested her hand on his uninjured shoulder and shook it gently. "James, I need you to wake up a for a minute." she said. James opened his eyes slowly and looked at her tiredly. "Hi, how are you doin'?" Camille asked. "I'm okay." James whispered. Yeah, sure he was. The poor thing looked extremely feverish, and was not very "there" at the moment. "Ok. I'll go get your meds." Camille said softly and James nodded sleepily. Camille and the rest of the family desperately needed to know if he had remembered anything that was important to the investigation, but that was going to have to wait until tomorrow. There was no way in hell that she was going to quiz James on what nightmarish event he had remembered.

"How about you? How are you feeling?" she asked Kendall once she was in the kitchen. "I've still got a headache…and, honestly, my face hurts." Kendall replied, chuckling slightly at how weird that sounded. Camille walked over to him and pressed a feather-light kiss to the bruised area on his jaw. "Well, why don't take you some more Motrin or Tylenol and hold some ice on that for a while? I'm going to help James for a minute and then we can watch that movie for a bit." Camille said. Kendall smiled and hugged her, "Sounds like a plan. Can I go talk to him for a moment?" he asked.

Camille nodded, "Yeah, but he's really tired". However, Logan was already in the process of helping Carlos walk James down the hallway so James could sleep in his own bed instead of on the couch. Camille watched as Kendall ran to help them and then she gathered the things she needed. Maybe it would be a good thing if James could just get settled in his own bedroom. Surprisingly, Kendall, Carlos, and Logan had actually gotten James situated comfortably in his own bed by the time Camille came into James' room. Logan and Carlos were fidgeting with the blankets, trying to make sure they were just right; and Kendall was on the edge of the bed, talking to James.

"Is there anything I can do to help, James?" Kendall asked, sitting Indian-style next to his friend. Camille sat down beside Kendall and handed James his meds. James took the offending little white pills from her and quickly downed them with a sip of water. Logan sat down on the other side of the bed, a bag of unknown items in his hand. "Alright, buddy, are you ready?" Logan asked. Camille looked up at the raven-haired boy and raised one eyebrow at him. What was James supposed to be "ready" for? Kendall and Carlos looked up at Logan confusedly, as well. "I've got to rewrap James' arm and ribs. Do you guys wanna stay and help me?" Logan explained. Camille nodded, a little unsure if she could actually stomach this, but she figured Logan needed the help. "What can I do?" Camille asked. "Um…grab the saline wash out of the bathroom cabinet and a few more clean towels." Logan replied.

Camille mouthed an "ok" and headed to do just that. When Camille got back to the bedroom, the other three boys had already started working on James' shoulder. After setting the saline and towels on the bedside table, Camille sat down next to James - who was lying on his back, looking terribly worried. "Hey, there, James." Camille greeted, wishing that the pained, anxious look on his face would disappear. Worry lines weren't meant to mar James Diamond's face - that was just plain unacceptable. James tensed, his back arching slightly off of the bed as Logan cleaned the wound. The raven-haired boy had a very serious, doctor-like expression on his face, and Camille couldn't help but a smile a little. Kendall, dearest adorable Kendall, was trying to be as gentle as he could while keeping James' arm steady. Camille intertwined her fingers with James' and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. James closed his eyes and moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue.

"We don't have to do this a lot" Camille reassured. James nodded briefly, a sheen of sweat beginning to cover his forehead. Logan finished cleaning the wound and began to tie the fresh bandages around James' left bicep. James hazel eyes flew open as the clothe was fastened securely and he let out a strangled gasp of pain. Camille's hand automatically went up to rest lightly on James' warm, rosy cheek. "It's okay." she said. Kendall looked up at her, a sympathetic look on his face, and then he reached down to pat James' lower leg affectionately. Camille watched Kendall for a minute, but quickly turned her attention back to James when another whimper came from him. Hopefully, the changing of the bandages around his ribs wouldn't be this bad. It could be a long few minutes - and it was.

"Yeah, I know it's cold, but just hold still for a minute. It'll start to feel good." Camille said, brushing Kendall's bangs to the side with her free hand. Kendall nodded, and let her continue to hold the ice pack against the bruise on the side of his face. After an extremely long twenty minutes, they had all finished putting fresh bandages on James' wounds, and James had fallen asleep due to the painkillers he had taken beforehand.

Kendall and Camille were now seated on the couch in the quiet living room, enjoying a little bit of peace by themselves. Camille was sitting sideways with her legs tucked underneath her, facing Kendall, who was sitting Indian-style next to her. His head was bothering him again, and Camille had taken it upon herself to make sure the he took some acetaminophen, and iced his jaw. "Is the Tylenol working yet?" Camille asked, still stroking his bangs to the side. "Yeah, sort of, I guess." Kendall replied and Camille smiled a little bit to herself. That wasn't really a solid answer, but she'd take it. Logan, Carlos had taken Katie to the pool, and Mrs. Knight had left to go read in the Palm Woods Park for a little while.

"What all did you guys do today?" Camille asked, trying to make conversation. Kendall seemed to be dwelling on James' condition, and that probably was not too good for him right now. "We practiced all of our songs, and then we went over our dance moves a few times. We have a concert coming up next month and Griffin is apparently after Gustavo about how perfect he wants it to be." Kendall replied. "Well, no matter what, you guys _will_ be perfect. You always are." Camille stated, smiling at him. "Thanks, Camille." Kendall said with a smile, leaning over and kissing her. Camille returned the kiss, and set down the ice pack. "Okay, since things didn't actually go as planned. Do you want to just lie down for a while?" Camille suggested. Kendall nodded, "I am perfectly okay with that." he replied. The two of them laid down next to each other on the couch, and pulled a small blanket up to cover their legs. Kendall exhaled deeply, and tucked one arm underneath Camille and around her waist. Satisfied with the comfy position, Camille rested her head on Kendall's chest, and listened to his steady heartbeat. Things may be going a little awry, but Camille would always be able to get through it as long as Kendall was with her. Little did she know, that even while together, the two of them wouldn't be ready for what was yet to come.

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><p><strong>All right, so this wasn't REALLY angst-filled, but just you wait to see what happens in the next chapter ;) Please review! Maybe if you awesome peoples review like crazy like you did for the last chapter…you might get that mega angst-filled chapter super soon ;) So, what do you think?<strong>

**By the way, who is SUPER STOKED for Big Time Single tomorrow? Woot woot! :D**


	12. Side Effects

**AN: Hi, peeps! :D Thank you very, very, very much for all of the reviews! You guys are great! I can't even put my gratitude and appreciation into words! I'm so glad you all are enjoying the story! :)  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything! **

**Warning: Angst. You know earlier…when I told you that you should go buy some Kleenex? Well, I hope ya'll did, because you're gonna need it now!**

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><p>"Camille? Camille, baby, I need you to wake up." A husky whisper reached Camille's ears and familiar warm fingers gently brushed against her bare shoulder. She forced her tired eyes open and saw Kendall sitting on the edge of the bed next to her, hair sleep mussed.<p>

"Hey. Everything okay?" Camille asked, propping herself up onto her elbows. "James' meds made him really ill and he's asking for you." Kendall answered, sympathy for his friend tinting his voice. Camille sat up all the way and combed her fingers through her hair to brush the gnarly curls out of her face, "Poor thing. What's wrong?" she asked. "He's been throwing up all night, nasty case of the chills, and he can't get to sleep." Kendall answered, reaching over and helping her smooth her hair back. Camille sighed and nodded, "Okay. Go tell him I'll be right there, will ya?" she said. Kendall mouthed an "okay" and then left. Camille looked over at Kendall's radio clock, gosh, it was only 2:30am and James was already having a bad night. She slipped on a pair of soft pajama pants and her bathrobe, popped a piece of gum in her mouth (morning breath wouldn't have a calming effect on anyone), and headed out into the living room.

Katie wasn't in sight (more than likely still in bed), Carlos was sitting in the living room, Logan was standing in the doorway to the bathroom, and Mrs. Knight was on the tile floor of the bathroom, with James. Mrs. Knight, in her bathrobe, was sitting beside James and had one arm wrapped around him. James was sitting Indian-style, resting his head tiredly against her shoulder. Mrs. Knight kissed the top of his head, "Can I get you anything, sweetheart?" she asked quietly. James shook his head, keeping his eyes closed.

Camille scooted past Logan and stepped inside the bathroom, "James?" she asked, taking seat on the other side of him. James opened his eyes slowly and looked over at her, "Camille…" he whispered, his voice hoarse. Camille nodded and put her arm around his waist, "Yeah, I'm right here." she reassured. She could feel the heat of his skin through the thin muscle shirt he was wearing and tremors wracked his frame nonstop underneath her fingers. "Ple-please don't m-make me t-take those again." he said. Yeah, that was it, Camille was calling Dr. Andy in the morning to figure out what their alternative was. "Okay. I won't." Camille whispered. She looked up and threaded her fingers through his damp hair. "What's wrong, hmmm?" she asked quietly. "I feel terrible" he whimpered. Mrs. Knight sighed in sympathy and kissed the top of his head, again.

Camille gently pulled him even closer, "Everything's going to be okay, James" she said. "I can get it from here, Mrs. Knight. You can go back to bed if you want." Camille whispered, continuing to stroke back James' hair. Mrs. Knight nodded, "All right, James, Camille's going to stay with you for awhile; I'll be right out in the living room, though. Okay?" she said. James nodded, "Okay. Thank you, Mama Knight." he whispered. "Of course, sweetheart." Mrs. Knight replied, giving him a gentle hug before leaving he and Camille alone. James shifted positions a little to rest his head on Camille, and she put her arms around his shoulders.

Mrs. Knight left the bathroom, shooing Logan out as well, and left the door open halfway. Kendall appeared just a few seconds later and looked down at James, "I wish I could do something to help you, James." Kendall said. James just nodded in understanding, not trusting his ability to talk due to his violent shaking. "Hey, Kendall? Why don't you hand me a damp towel?" Camille asked softly. Kendall acted quickly to do just that and then handed the clothe to her. "Thanks, hon." Camille whispered, accepting the towel and beginning to gently smooth it over James' sweat-soaked skin. Kendall sat down on the other side of James and put his arm around the muscular brunette. Normally, Kendall was the kind of guy to avoid getting in his friend's space and kept the manly hugs to a minimum. However, when it came to one of the boys needing help or comfort, Kendall would be right there. Camille and Kendall were probably quite the sight, sitting on the bathroom floor with sleep-mussed hair, in their pajamas, both of them with an arm around their shaking friend.

A few minutes of silence went by with Camille just continuing to softly dab James' forehead, cheeks, and neck with the cool towel. Luckily, James had stopped throwing up for now. Probably because there wasn't anything left for his body to dispose of. "Y-you guys can go b-back to bed. I'll be okay." James whispered. Kendall and Camille exchanged looks of "yeah, I don't think so" and Kendall spoke, "No, we're going to stay right here, James". Another violent tremor wracked James' frame and both Kendall and Camille tightened their hold on him. "G-guys, I have something to tell you." James said. "I don't really wanna remember what h-happened." he whispered, looking up at the two of them with bright eyes, expecting disappointing glares from them. "Oh, buddy, that's okay. I probably wouldn't want to, either." Kendall replied and Camille nodded in agreement. "I just want to get some sleep… without nightmares." James whispered, his voice breaking in the process. Camille glanced over, only to see Kendall struggling to keep his _own_ tears from falling. Camille's heart ached enormously for James, as well, but Kendall had been friends with James far longer than she had. It had to be difficult to see him like this.

"I know, James, I know. I wish I could do something to help you. I really do." Kendall said. Camille decided to let Kendall handle this one. He might be more of a consolation in this situation, since he had been through thick and thin with James already. Camille was silent as James cried, not knowing what to do other than lovingly stroke his hair back. What she wouldn't give to wake up from this nightmare. She couldn't even imagine what James was going through. The bathroom door opened quietly, and a somewhat sleepy Katie came walking in. "Is everything all right, Katie?" Kendall asked, his voice sounding extremely unsteady. Katie nodded, brown eyes large with concern, "Yeah, I just…I just wanted to come check on James." she answered, stuttering as she noticed just how bad things were.

Without another word, Katie knelt in front of James and wrapped both of her small arms around him gently. Surprisingly, James didn't even flinch, he immediately wrapped his uninjured arm around her and pulled her close. "It's all right, James, we're right here." Katie whispered. Camille smiled a little bit; despite how tough she was…Katie would be a great comforter when she grew up. Katie stayed on her haunches, holding onto James until his cries turned into shuddering breaths and the occasional hiccup. Kendall still had his arm around James' waist, and Camille kept her hand on his quivering back, letting the distraught boy know that they were still there. James released Katie after a few more minutes "Thank you, Katie." he said, looking up at her with still-damp hazel eyes. Katie gave him a reassuring smile and pressed a small, quick kiss to the top of his head. She gave Kendall and Camille brief hugs before going back to bed.

Another entire hour went by of mostly silence between the three of them until James fell asleep with his entire upper body slumped against Kendall. "Kendall? What are we going to do?" Camille asked in a whisper. "I…have no idea." he replied honestly, shrugging one broad shoulder of his. Kendall was tenderly rubbing his hand up and down James' upper arm, probably not even aware that he was still doing it, and had been for the past hour and a half. "I know one thing, though, I'm calling the doctor first thing in the morning to tell her that I refuse to give James this medication anymore." he said, a hint of anger in his voice, which was very uncommon with Kendall. "Yeah, you read my mind." Camille stated. She reached out and brushed a few strands of his dirty-blonde hair out of his eyes. "Maybe you should try to get some sleep." Camille suggested, Kendall's exhaustion not going unnoticed by her. "I'm okay. I don't think I could fall asleep now - too many things going around in my head." he replied. "How about you? You could probably slip out from underneath James and go on to bed. I don't want you to over-exhaust yourself." Kendall said, eyebrows furrowed in worry. "No, I have the same problem as you do. I can just take a nap tomorrow." Camille replied quietly and Kendall just nodded.

Camille looked at James, unable to suppress a tiny smile at the site of his head resting against Kendall's chest. Slipping it off carefully, Camille removed her bathrobe and draped it over James. Even though the small fleece garment barely covered him, it might help keep him warm just a little bit since he was …well, asleep on a tile floor. James, thankfully, slept until about 6:00am - when he woke up long enough to go to his own bed (with help from the other boys) and fell asleep there almost immediately. Both the medication wearing off and exhaustion catching up with him aided in the process of him staying in a nightmare-free deep sleep.

Six o' clock in the morning was still considered quite early in the Knight house, so now that James had been moved to his bedroom, it was time for Kendall and Camille to go back to bed. Camille stepped quietly inside of James' bedroom to check on him one more time. A familiar figure was standing by James' bedside, gazing down at him worriedly. Camille reached down and smoothed James' soft hair to the side, happy that he looked peaceful while he was sleeping. "Hey, you all right?" she quietly asked the figure beside her. Kendall turned to her and she heard him inhale sharply. No, he obviously wasn't. Camille reached down and intertwined her fingers with Kendall's, "C'mon, let's go to bed and get some sleep. James is okay right now." she said gently. Kendall nodded and let her lead him out of the bedroom and to his own.

Camille closed Kendall's room-darkening curtains, exhaustion hitting her like a ton of bricks once the bedroom became nearly pitch black. She climbed underneath the cool sheets, watching as Kendall silently did the same. Camille rested her hand on Kendall's face, smoothing her thumb over the soft skin of his cheek. Kendall leaned into her touch and closed his eyes, "I…I hate seeing him like this." he whispered, swallowing hard. "I know, Kendall, I hate it, too. Everything's going to be okay, though. Tomorrow we'll see if we can get James' off of that kind of painkillers and then things should get better." Camille said.

Kendall just shook his head. "Seeing him like this…and not being able to do anything to fix it." he whispered, hot tears beginning to fall and slip down onto Camille's fingertips. "I'm sorry" he choked out, knowing that his girlfriend had to be fed up with dealing with everyone's problems lately. Camille shook her head, disagreeing with him and his need to apologize. "It's okay, Kendall, it's okay" she whispered, slipping her arms underneath the blankets and putting them around his waist. Kendall scooted over to close the distance between them and buried his face against Camille's chest. Camille left one arm around his waist and brought the other hand up to rest on the back of his neck, "Shhh…it's all right, Kendall. James will be okay." Camille whispered, No other words passed between the two of them, Camille just continued to hold Kendall as his body shook with quiet sobs against her. She guessed that it wasn't until 7:00am that Kendall fell asleep against her. His warm breath against the skin of Camille's neck, the steady beating of his heart against her own chest lulling her to sleep. Camille pressed a kiss to Kendall's forehead, inhaling the smell of his shampoo, before falling into a much-needed sleep.

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><p><strong>Angst-filled, eh? Please review! Actually, I'll make a deal with ya'll. Review like crazy (like you awesome peoples have been doing!) and you will get another update this Friday…and it has a special scene in it that I know you all will enjoy ;) So, review if you want it! <strong>


	13. Unexepected Sight

**AN: Wow, you guys are the coolest reviewers anyone could ask for! Thank you so much for all of them! :D I'm SUPER GLAD that you peeps are liking the story so far! **

**Special note for anonymous reviewers: Hey there, guys! I really, really appreciate your reviews, too, and I'm overjoyed that you are liking the story! I hope you all continue to like it, and I hope you know that it means a lot to me that you review, too! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

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><p>Camille looked over at the clock, just now noticing that it was almost noon. She had been lying here for an unknown amount of time, her arms wrapped around Kendall - who was still in the position that he had fallen asleep in last night. Camille could tell by his deep, even breaths, and the way he'd barely move at all since last night, that he was in quite the deep sleep that he deserved. Camille smoothed her hand down his hair and fingered the hair at the nape of his neck. Kendall's head rested against her chest, still slightly buried against the fabric of her sleep tee, and almost half of his body was on top of her. Camille hadn't slept much that night, her thoughts running unceasingly about what they were going to do today. Call the doctor, for one, about James' medication, make sure that James felt better this morning, and keep an eye on Kendall. James' physical health was extremely important, but Kendall's mental health was just as much of a priority. When you love some one as much as Camille loved Kendall, seeing him struggle with anything and have to watch him be hurt or upset was like experiencing his every emotion and pain for herself. Last night, as Kendall cried softly in her arms, his hands clenching her shirt tightly and his body shaking against hers…Camille was pretty sure she had heard her own heart shattering. Just the thought of the events that had happened mere hours ago made Camille press her lips against Kendall's forehead affectionately. Camille smiled at the way Kendall's hair had absorbed the smell of the Downy fabric softener that he often overused.<p>

As much as she hated it, Camille was going to have to get up and go to her apartment to change her clothes and freshen up. She smoothed her hand over the soft material of Kendall's shirt and down his back a few times, wanting to provide as much comfort as she could despite the fact that he was asleep. Practically holding her breath, Camille carefully slipped out from underneath him, replacing her body with a pillow. Kendall sighed quietly in his sleep and wrapped both of his long arms around the pillow, probably not even aware that it wasn't Camille anymore. Camille tiptoed backwards and to the desk in the corner, still keeping an eye on him to make sure he stayed asleep. Confident that he was still quite unconscious, Camille turned around and sat down in the chair at Kendall's desk. Grabbing a pen (that, of course, said "Minnesota Wilds" written on it along with the team symbol) and a piece of blank paper, Camille began to compose a note to Kendall.

_Hey there, handsome (:_

_I hope you slept well! It's 12:13pm, and I have to head over to my apartment to quickly change, shower, etc. I won't be long, but just call me if you need anything (:_

_Be back in a bit!_

_With love, _

_Camille_

After briefly proofreading it, Camille tiptoed over and placed her note on the pillow beside Kendall. She rested her hand lightly on the side of his face and softly kissed the tip of his nose, "I love you…so much" she whispered. Taking one last look at Kendall's adorable sleeping form, Camille stepped quietly out of the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Camille smiled a greeting at Logan and Carlos - who were eating lunch at the counter. Katie was sitting at her laptop, looking perturbed, while Mrs. Knight tidied up the kitchen.

Upon noticing Camille's arrival, Mrs. Knight stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room, "Good morning, Camille! Can I talk to you for a second, sweetheart?" she asked.

Nervous about what could be going on, Camille swallowed hard and nodded, following Kendall's mom to the couch. The two of them sat down and Camille looked warily at Mrs. Knight.

Kendall's mom must have noticed Camille's anxiety, though, because she just smiled, "No, you're not in trouble for anything. On the contrary, I just wanted to thank you. You are really helping out with James…and Kendall, too. I can tell that James really trusts you, Camille, and you are playing a huge part in his recovery here. You've got the gentle touch of a woman that he needs, but you also seem to know exactly what to say and do to help him and be a good friend. He trusts you, Camille - a lot" Mrs. Knight said.

Camille just nodded, dumbfounded by both Mrs. Knight's compliments, and the news confirming James' trust in her.

"Thank you, Mrs. Knight. I'm just happy I could be of some help with everything that is going on." Camille replied, her mouth still dry.

"You are definitely a big help, sweetheart. I don't know what I would do without you." Mrs. Knight replied, standing up and wrapping Camille in a motherly hug.

Camille hugged her back tightly, finding herself missing a mother figure in her life. Smiling once more, Camille left to get changed.

Showered, dressed in her favorite blue, low cut dress and black leggings, her hair smelling good - Camille was feeling happy. She opened the door to apartment 2J, not surprised at seeing it empty, yet again. Carlos and Logan were working hard at the studio lately, Mrs. Knight tried to make sure that Katie didn't have to hang around the gloomy apartment a lot, and James was more than likely still in bed. Camille exhaled deeply, the silence welcome, and poured herself a glass of apple juice. A note was left on the counter with a time that said they had only left minutes ago, that Mrs. Knight and Katie had gone to go clothes shopping, and that Kendall had just woken up. Smiling, Camille picked up her glass of apple juice and walked down the hallway to Kendall's room. His door was halfway open, so Camille proceeded without knocking. She instantly regretted that decision though, when she walked up to the door…only to be met with the sight of the back of a completely naked Kendall Knight.

Camille couldn't contain the high-pitched shriek that escaped her lips as she stepped backwards in shock, her heel catching on the area rug. Before she knew it, she was flat on her back…wearing her apple juice. The cold liquid splashed all over her, the plastic cup flew backwards, all oxygen was knocked out of her, and she had just seen Kendall…naked.

"Oh my gosh" Camille breathed. Upon hearing her shriek, Kendall came running out into the hallway, actually wearing a pair of jeans this time.

"Gosh, Camille are you all right? What happened?" Kendall exclaimed worriedly, helping his girlfriend to her feet.

Camille was pretty sure she felt all 5 liters of blood in her body rise to her cheeks.

Kendall stared at her, his eyebrows furrowed in raw worry and confusion. "Camille? Babe, are you okay?" he asked, again.

Camille nodded rapidly, all of her limbs frozen in place. Her shirt was sopping wet, her back hurt, and she had just seen her boyfriend…naked.

"I-I'm…I'm o-okay" Camille forced out, her jaw feeling disconnected from her face.

"What happened?" Kendall asked. Camille snapped her mouth shut. Great, what was she supposed to say? _Oh, you know. I didn't knock, so I walked in on you COMPLETELY AU NATURALE! _Nope, not going to happen.

"It… um… there was a huge spider! On the wall!" Camille exclaimed, pointing. Kendall turned around and began to search the hallway for the supposed perpetrator. Camille glanced down at his now-clothed butt and smoothed her hand over her face in agony. She'd never be able to look at the back of him the same now! Gosh, he had a nice butt and legs, though.

Kendall turned back to her, his bare upper half distracting enough. "I don't see anything." he said, shaking his head.

"It…it was there. It must have run off when I screamed" Camille said, forcing a chuckle. Kendall nodded, still confused as to why his girlfriend was shaking and stuttering because of a silly little spider.

Camille's heart was still pounding violently in her throat, as Kendall took her hand and led her into his bedroom. Camille stood there, feeling awkward in the offending room.

Kendall smiled and handed her one of his dark blue v-neck shirts, "Here, why don't you change into this and I can put your dress in the washer." he said.

Camille smiled at the sweet offer and accepted the shirt from him. "Thank you" she said. Kendall smiled at her before leaving…closing the door behind him.

Camille stood frozen for a moment, her mind AND body feeling completely numb from the shock. She was going to have to blow it off - it had been an accident! A terribly unfortunate, random, traumatizing, and…_revealing_ ACCIDENT! Camille blew out a breath, and quickly changed into Kendall's shirt. Thanks to the enormous height difference between the two of them, his shirt was long enough to be a perfect replacement for her dress. Camille unabashedly grasped the fabric of the shoulder and brought it up to her face, smiling instantly at the overwhelming "Kendall" smell. It was cologne, shampoo, Irish Spring, Downy, just the plain tantalizing smell of the man who wore it.

Smiling, Camille opened the door and stepped out of Kendall's room. She gazed menacingly down at the turned up area-rug that had tripped her. "Piece of garbage" she muttered hatefully.

Kendall came down the hallway, now wearing a shirt, too. "Aw, that looks cute on you!" he exclaimed, walking over and hugging her close to him.

Camille smiled, "Thanks, but I like it better on you." she replied. Kendall grinned and led her down the hall and to the couch. "What are you doing?" Camille asked as Kendall sat down behind her on the couch.

"I want to make sure you didn't hit your head too hard on the floor when you fell." Kendall said. Camille just nodded, amazed, once again, at how adorable he was.

Gentle, warm fingers brushed against the top of her head as Kendall moved away her curls and softly probed the area she had fallen on.

After a few seconds of silence, Kendall got out from behind her and sat down in front of her. "Okay, it looks like just a small bump. Can I get you anything?" he asked, smoothing a few stray curls out of her eyes.

Camille smiled at him, "No, I'm all right. Thank you, though. You're so adorable." she said, leaning forward and kissing him. Although, the word "adorable" was the last thing that came to mind when he was naked.

"You smell like a combination of me…and apples" Kendall said, a smile spreading across his lips. Camille laughed, " I know." she replied.

"It's cute, I like it." Kendall said, leaning in to kiss her, again. Camille was still trying to recover from her escapade, but she was alone with Kendall and very happy; and James was still getting some sleep. Even the sun was shining! However, no one would be prepared for the phone call that they would be receiving in just a few minutes.

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><p><strong>Hope you guys liked that special, hilarious scene with Camille! ;) I'm going to once again motivate you rad readers to review, review, review, by making another deal with you. Review like you have been, sharing your thoughts on this chapter, and I'll update, again, in just a couple of days! <strong>

**Hint: This next chapter is where things start to be revealed…aka the drama, suspense, and angst get kicked up a notch (maybe several)! ;)**


	14. An Unwanted Phone Call

**AN: Sheesh! You guys are some seriously epic reviewers! Thank you so much for all of them :D I'm glad that you all liked the Camille and Kendall scene in the last chapter ;) Sorry this update is a little late, my week has been super chaotic! So, I'll just shut up now so you can read this chapter :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

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><p>Camille picked up a fabric softener sheet and threw it inside of the dryer along with her newly-washed dress. She still smelled like apple juice, despite the abundant amount of perfume she had put on to try to mask it. Camille turned on the dryer and then stepped inside of the bathroom. Exhaling deeply, she stared at the mirror, "You smell like apples…and you just saw Kendall naked." she whispered to herself. Great, now she was lamenting to her reflection - she had officially lost her mind. She picked up a dampened towel and smoothed it across her face and neck, hoping it removed all traces of apple juice from her skin.<p>

Camille heard the muffled sound of the phone ringing outside of the bathroom door, "Hey, Kendall, are you going to get that?" she shouted through the door.

"Yeah!" came the reply, and instantly the phone stopped ringing.

Camille came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, and Kendall was still on the phone, eyebrows furrowed. Camille wandered over and stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his slim torso in a hug from behind. Kendall leaned backwards into the hug and Camille rested her forehead against his shoulders.

The sound of Kendall's voice was a deep vibration against her as he spoke to the other person on the phone, "Yes, sir, I understand. We need some time, though. Three hours from now? Yes, see you then, sir. Goodbye." Kendall hung up the phone, and smoothed his hand over his face.

"Hey, everything all right?" Camille asked as Kendall turned around to stand directly in front of her.

"Detective Anderson found something that could be evidence. He wants to talk to James and ask him if he has remembered anything." Kendall said, closing his eyes and exhaling deeply. The stress on his shoulders was almost visible.

Camille reached up and rested her hand on the side of his face, "Hey, look at me." she ordered softly. Kendall fluttered his eyelashes defiantly, but looked down at her anyways. Camille smoothed her thumb over the soft skin of his cheek, "Everything's going to be okay. I'm right here." she whispered, nodding reassuringly. Kendall Donald Knight was not alone in this, because her love for him was undying, and he needed to know that.

Kendall inhaled sharply, his voice quiet and shaking, "Can I have a hug?" he asked, biting down hard on his lower lip in an attempt to keep his emotions in check.

"You never to ask, Kendall." Camille whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist. Kendall practically threw himself into the hug, clinging to her desperately. Camille kissed the spot of bare skin that the movement of his shirt collar had exposed, and rubbed her hand up and down his back consolingly. "It's okay." she whispered, again. This family of six was falling apart, and Camille had no idea what to do. Camille held Kendall for what seemed like an eternity. She continued to occasionally whisper comforting things to him, but she knew he didn't really want to hear it, right now he just wanted to be held. Kendall's hold on her was loosening up, and the weight of his body against hers was increasing.

"Hey, why don't you go lie down for a bit, okay? We still have three hours, and I can help James get ready." Camille suggested, pulling away from him a bit. Kendall just looked at her and nodded ever so slightly. His green eyes were tired, he looked stressed to the max, he could barely stand on his own, and the still-present bruise on his jaw stood stark against his unusually pale skin. Camille wrapped one arm around his waist and led him to the couch. Kendall automatically laid down on his stomach, his bruised jaw facing up.

Camille reached down and straightened his ruffled plaid shirt and draped a thin blanket across his back, "Get some sleep, hon". She brushed his bangs out of his eyes and kissed his forehead.

Camille stopped short as she began to walk away, "Hey" she said, turning around. Kendall opened his eyes, again. "I love you" Camille said, smiling at him.

A tired small spread across Kendall's lips, "I love you, too." he replied. 

"Morning" Camille greeted softly as she entered James' room. Her cheery greeting was meant to cover up her surprise that he was actually lying on his bed…awake.

Camille padded over and sat down next to him on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked, resting her hand on his arm. James was just staring at the ceiling, and it was bothering her.

"James, I need to ask a big favor of you." Camille said. That got his attention, his bright eyes landed down on her and his nod was barely noticeable.

"The detective…working on our case found something that could be evidence…and he'd like for you to come down to the station so he can talk to you." Camille said.

James instantly turned two shades paler, "Why?" he whispered. Camille sighed, hadn't she should told him why?

"I think he just needs to ask you some questions. We have to be there in a few hours, though, so do you need me to help you get ready?" Camille asked.

James thought about this for a minute, looking very unsure. "Yeah…yeah, I guess. Could I get some help putting on a tee shirt?" he asked timidly.

"Of course. Right now?" Camille replied and James shook his head. "No, I want to try to take a shower first." James responded. Camille grimaced, not liking that idea, but she nodded an "ok". Wordlessly, she helped James sit up and she half-dragged him to the shower.

"All right, just shout if you need anything." Camille said casually as she left the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Great, James already seemed far from in the mood for what was to come today, and it was still early.

~**3 hours later~**

One question came to mind: Why the hell were they in an interrogation room? Mrs. Knight and Katie were in a waiting room/break room in the main part of the building; Logan and Carlos were still at Rocque Records; and here sat Kendall, Camille, and James. The effort it had taken James to shower, dress, and get in and out of the car had seriously exhausted him. Also, they had started to wean him off of the dreaded narcotic that he had been on; and sure, he felt a little better, but now the pain that the drug had been blocking was back. He was tired, he was in pain, and most of all…this whole situation was scaring him. The three of them were seated on a bench in this interrogation-type room, and Camille had one arm wrapped around James' waist, supporting some of his weight. The poor thing was leaning tiredly against her, shaking quite violently. Kendall was seated on the other side of James, absent-mindedly rubbing his friend's back.

Kendall, noticing the tremors wracking his friend's body, leaned closer to James and wrapped an arm around him just like Camille. "It's all right, buddy. Everything's fine." Kendall reassured.

Five more minutes went by, and now Camille was losing her patience. James was too ill and frightened to have to deal with all of this. A tardy detective was the last thing they needed.

Suddenly, the door opened loudly and James jumped three feet into the air. Camille could almost hear his heart pounding rapidly as he looked around the room with large, terrified eyes.

Both Camille and Kendall instantly pulled him closer and held him tightly, yet gently. "You're okay." Kendall whispered to James, rubbing his shoulder.

Detective Anderson sat down in a chair on the other side of the table. "Mr. Diamond, I have some questions for you." the gruff man stated.

Great, not even a proper greeting. James nodded, still shaking against Camille, one of his hands tightly fisted in the back of her shirt. Things were awkwardly silent as the detective wordlessly flipped through a folder, and then tossed a few pictures over to the three of them.

"We found this in the alley, and the bartender that owns the bar that you were found in back of claims it's not his." the detective said. Camille, James, and Kendall all leaned forward in unison and glanced down at the picture. Lying in the middle of a brown and pink puddle of water, was an aluminum baseball bat.

"Do you recognize that, James?" asked the detective, not an ounce of sympathy or gentleness in his voice. Kendall and Camille both glanced at James expectantly, hoping, _praying_, that he didn't recognize it.

James nodded, though, 'I…I know…I know he used one, but I d-didn't see it. It was…it was too dark." he whispered. Camille's breath hitched in her throat at the idea of someone taking a baseball bat to James.

The detective nodded and leaned back in his chair, "Tell me, James, what all do you remember from that night?" he asked.

"Do we need to go over all of this today? Sir." Kendall asked, his voice strained with the attempt to control himself from shouting, and the "sir" was an afterthought. Detective Anderson shot him an annoyed look and nodded stiffly. Camille hated the way this detective was looking at James, and even Kendall. It was like he didn't care at all about what James was going through. She had the sudden urge to throw herself over the table and slap him like she had never slapped anyone before. However, out of fear of being arrested, she restrained herself from doing so.

After quite some time of eardrum-shattering quiet, Camille spoke up due to James' silence and persistent shaking, "Sir, James has told me that the only thing he remembers is a figure attacking him in an alley".

James' body stiffened against her, and he looked up at her, his hazel eyes filled with guilt and worry. All eyes turned to James and, as a reflex, Camille pulled him closer. This detective was putting James on the spot and making him remember things that were better left unremembered, and now Camille was a ticking bomb.

"James, think, okay? You don't remember _anything_ about the man or how he attacked you?" Detective Anderson asked, sitting up in his chair and looking impatient. James was silent and unmoving for a minute, obviously reliving that night. An uncontainable whimper escaped James' lips, breaking the silence, and he leaned against Camille.

"I just…I just remember him coming out of nowhere and then he started to attack me with that." James whispered, and pointed to the picture of the baseball bat.

"Are you positive you didn't see him clearly?" the detective asked, sounding at the end of his rope.

"No!" James exclaimed, his voice breaking as he threw his hands into the air. His breathing was coming in short gasps, silent tears ran down his cheeks, and his entire body was trembling uncontrollably with fear, anger, and frustration.

"Okay" Kendall said, his voice hoarse with anger, "we've answered your damn questions. My friend's had enough, we're leaving." he said. Without another word, Kendall wrapped an arm around James and began to support his hysterical friend as he half-lead and half-carried him out of the interrogation room.

Camille stared open-mouthed at the back of her boyfriend as he left with James, and then averted her gaze away from him and to the irate detective. Before he could scold her about their behavior, Camille hopped off of the bench and ran out after Kendall.

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><p><strong>Do you think things are getting a little intense? Just you wait for the next chapters! ;) To make up for this late update, I'll post another chapter this weekend. That is, of course, if you guys want it! ;) Review and let me know what you thought of this chapter and tell me if you want a Friday or weekend update! :D<strong>


	15. A Knight

**AN: Hi, buddies! Thank you very, very, very, very, VERY much for all of the reviews! You guys are the definition of fantastic :D Sorry this is a day late, again! My beta-reader ended up working a 24 hour shift at her job, so she was super busy! Here it is, though! :D Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

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><p>Needless to say, the car ride home was…awkward. Katie and Camille were in the backseat, on either side of James - who had finally quieted down. Mrs. Knight was driving and Kendall was in the passenger seat; Camille could almost <em>see<em> him still seething. Camille reached over and rubbed James' forearm, silently reminding him that she was right there. The distraught boy was listing to the side in his seat, his head resting on Katie's shoulder. The young girl had one small hand resting on the side of James' face, occasionally stroking his hair gently. The drive home was actually quite long, since the station was nowhere near the Palm Woods. Camille could hear Katie murmur something comforting and quite meaningless to James once in a while, and, to Camille, that was the cutest thing ever. Kendall was completely silent, and that worried her…immensely. It was so quiet in the car, Camille had the urge (that urge you get when things are awkward) to hold her breath.

The sound of car doors slamming shut was deafening as the five of them piled out of Mrs. Knight's van and began their journey into the hotel. Logan and Carlos must have been waiting for them to arrive home, because they appeared suddenly outside of the main doors. One look at Kendall sent the two boys veering to the left and out of his path to help James. Within minutes, Carlos and Logan had a half-conscious James securely in their arms and were helping him to the elevator. Mrs. Knight practically power-walked ahead of the three boys, leaving Camille leaning against the side of the parked car in an awkward situation. She looked down, pretending that her eyes were glued to an uninteresting weed that sat in between the cracks of the weather-beaten cement. Using her peripheral vision, she saw Kendall's long legs move back and forth as he paced beside her. Out of nowhere, he let out a frustrated cry and kicked the back tire of the van. The action was sudden and unlike him, and Camille couldn't contain a jump of surprise. She looked up, staring with large brown eyes as Kendall raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"I'm sorry" Kendall said. He was frustrated and he was upset (understandably), so he was _apologizing to her._ Yep, that was her Kendall.

"Kendall, it's all right." Camille said, wandering over to stand beside him. His shoulders slumped, his exhausted body unable to take much more. Camille reached out and rested her hand on the small of his back.

A tremor wracked Kendall's body beneath her fingers and he suddenly lurched forwards, expelling his lunch into a nearby bush.

"Oh, hon." Camille whispered sympathetically, not removing her hand from his back. Kendall hadn't even had a decent amount of food for lunch, so the expelling process didn't take much time, but it was long enough to leave Kendall's legs barely supporting him. Camille wrapped her arm around his waist, helping him up into an erect position.

"I don't feel very well." Kendall confessed quietly, still breathing hard.

"Yeah, I know, baby. C'mon, let's get you inside." Camille said, brushing back his now sweat-dampened bangs. Kendall nodded, looking at her with bright, watering green eyes. "I think you need to lie down for awhile." Camille said, tightening her grip on him to aid his unsteady legs in taking Kendall to the elevator. Kendall nodded tiredly, staggering slightly as they moved to avoid running into a wall.

Kendall's lithe frame leaned heavily against Camille. If it weren't for her and the handrail in the elevator, he would more than likely be on his face.

Camille rubbed his arm, "We're almost there." she whispered reassuringly as she watched the number of floors count up.

The elevator doors opened and Camille wrapped her arm around Kendall's waist, again. Luckily, 2J wasn't very far from the elevator, so the two of them were back in their apartment quickly.

"All right, I'm going to take you to your bed. That okay?" Camille asked as she gently half-dragged her boyfriend past staring family members and to his room.

Kendall just nodded, trying his best to aid her in the process of hauling him to his bed, but not succeeding. Finally, Camille carefully reclined Kendall on top of his bed. The ceiling fan was still on high speed, and his room-darkening curtains were still closed from this morning; so, Kendall's room was in perfect shape to be relaxed in. With the ounce of energy left in him, Kendall scooted up to lie against the pillows on his bed. Camille pulled one of his sheets up and over his body, and resituated his favorite body pillow - his favorite next to her, of course.

"Can I get you anything, hon?" Camille asked sympathetically as she sat down beside him. Kendall just closed his eyes and shook his head. There was a considerable amount of heat radiating from him, and with one casual stroke of his bangs…Camille could feel the warmth of his forehead. However, that was perfectly normal due to the close encounter with the bushes he had just had. Camille slipped a few fingers underneath the sleeve of his t-shirt, smoothing her thumb over the skin of his arm and over his bicep.

"Get some sleep. I'm going to go figure out what to do about James' meds, but then I'll be back, okay?" Camille said, reaching down and rubbing his upper leg consolingly.

"Ok" Kendall whispered. Camille kissed the side of his face, letting her lips linger for a moment on the soft, warm skin. As quietly as mouse, Camille tiptoed out of his bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Katie was sitting on the couch, staring off into space and chewing on her lower lip, while Mrs. Knight absent-mindedly prepared dinner.

"Where is everybody?" Camille wondered out loud.

"Carlos and Logan took James to his bedroom and are helping him." Mrs. Knight answered, her brow furrowed in worry and frustration. Camille nodded and wandered into James' bedroom.

Carlos and Logan were fluttering around the room, cleaning, organizing, straightening blankets, etc. James was lying in the middle of his bed on his back, now clad in just a tank top and boxer briefs.

"I can take it from here, guys. Thanks." Camille said sweetly - although, that was her way of telling them to beat it and that she needed to talk to James alone. Luckily, the two boys understood what she meant, and they quickly left the room.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Camille asked, hopping up onto the bed and sitting cross-legged next to him.

"I just wanted him to leave me alone." James whispered, looking up at her with his trademark puppy-dog eyes. Detective Anderson…ugh.

Camille made a mental note to slap the miserable idiot next time she saw him…preferably when he wasn't surrounded by detective buddies or security. She regretted not slapping him earlier…they had been alone! It had been the perfect opportunity and she'd missed it. Although, that probably would not have been a good first impression. Camille's musings were interrupted as James sucked in a breath, wrapping his arms around his torso. Camille laid down directly beside him, and put an arm around his shoulders. James immediately scooted closer to close the distance between them, and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Is there anything I can do to help, James?" Camille asked quietly. There wasn't actually much for her to do that would help him, but she had to ask.

James shook his head, his soft hair brushing against her neck and jaw. "It's just…I hurt." he whispered.

Camille nodded and rubbed his bare arm, "I know. Do you want to go back on your medication?" she asked, hesitantly. She hadn't even considered that the pain from the lack of the hydromorphone would outweigh the pros of it's absence.

His answer was abrupt, and in a surprisingly loud shout, "No!" James exclaimed.

Camille couldn't help but stiffen slightly at the sudden shout, and James tilted his head up to look at her. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" he apologized worriedly.

Camille bent her head down a little ways and kissed his forehead, "That's okay. I know you didn't. I can get you some Tylenol here in a few minutes".

James nodded against her, his body beginning to tremble, again. Camille rested her hand on the side of his face, gently cradling his head against her shoulder. "You're all right." she whispered.

It was silent for several minutes before James spoke, again "Is Kendall okay?" he asked quietly.

"He's fine." Camille replied. That was more or less true. He _would_ be fine…soon…hopefully.

When Camille began to slip out from underneath him, James reached out and grabbed her hand. "Wh-where are you going?" he exclaimed.

"I'm just going to get you some Tylenol." Camille reassured, reaching over and peeling his hand away from hers.

Five minutes later, Camille returned with the acetaminophen and a glass of water in hand. Upon opening James' bedroom door, she was met with the sight of a very asleep boy. She couldn't contain the "aw" that escaped her lips at the sight of the poor thing finally getting some rest. Quietly, Camille walked over and set the two items on the bedside table, and then pulled a blanket over James' half-naked form. His naturally rosy cheeks were in stark contrast against his white sheets. His long black eyelashes were splayed, casting shadows on his cheeks, and the sound of deep breathing escaped his parted lips.

"Sleep well, James" Camille whispered, bending down to stroke his dark hair. With one last glance at him behind her, Camille left once again and closed the door behind her.

Camille closed her eyes and raked her fingers through her hair, leaning back against the wall. This had been a long day, and it was only dinner time. "Hi." came a voice. Startled, Camille opened her eyes, to see Carlos standing in front of her, a small smile on his face.

"Hi, Carlos." Camille greeted, returning his smile.

"Do you need a hug?" Carlos asked, his adorable innocence ever so present.

"Yes, Carlos, I do." Camille answered, her smile growing. The young Latino stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her petite frame, giving her a warm, gentle hug. Camille returned it, unable to remove the smile from her face because of how thoughtful Carlos was being.

Camille pulled away, "Thanks, Carlos. How about you? How are you holding up?" she asked. Normal people would figure that Carlos was never bothered by anything; however, the people in this apartment (including Camille) knew better.

"I'm ok." Carlos replied, nodding a little. Camille smiled and nodded, as well.

"All right. I'm going to go make sure Kendall is doing better. Will you come get me when dinner is ready?" Camille asked.

"Sure thing, Camille." Carlos replied, giving her one more smile before going back to the living room. Camille made her way into Kendall's bedroom.

"You are the cutest thing that I have ever seen" Camille said softly as she gazed down at Kendall's unconscious form. Camille got underneath the covers and snuggled up against him. Kendall must have the felt the bed shift, because his eyes opened and he looked down at her.

"Well, hello there, beautiful." he whispered, playing with a curl of her hair that had splayed on top of the sheets.

Camille reached up and kissed him. "Are you feeling any better?" she asked, reaching up to pet his soft bangs.

"A little. I got some sleep, which I think helped." Kendall answered, exhaling deeply.

"Carlos is going to come get us when dinner is ready, so why don't you try to get some more sleep, huh?" Camille said, reaching up and kissing him, again. Kendall nodded, not removing his lips from hers. It drove Camille crazy that Kendall's beautiful lips were always so soft.

Camille pulled away, "Nah-uh, sleep, remember?" she teased.

"I love you" Kendall said, brushing his lips lightly against hers and then kissing the tip of her nose.

" I love you, too." Camille replied, smiling up at him. Never in her life did Camille think that she would be exchanging such words with someone like Kendall Knight. As cheesy as it may sound, his name fit him perfectly…he was her Knight in shining armor.

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><p><strong>All right, semi-sweet ending for you all! If you guys continue to review like you have been, I'll update again in just a few days! My beta-reader has a day off this week, so I will get the next chapter up on time! Haha :D Only if you guys review! Have a good rest of the weekend, ya'll! :)<br>**


	16. Checkups

**AN: Whoa, I am so sorry, AGAIN, everybody! You may not believe it because it was uncanny, but the night after I promised a quick update for you guys…my beta-reader broke her foot! True story! Many, many, MANY apologies to you all; and, of course, TONS of thanks for all of the reviews! :D **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

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><p>It was time - and she was dreading it. Camille slipped her purse onto her shoulder and tied her shoelaces. Everybody was coming with her and Kendall to take James to the hospital for his checkup. Dr. Andy had told her on the phone that the appointment was going to take some time, because she had a lot to do - great. Apparently, James needed a complete "physical well-being" checkup, a blood test, a prescription for a new medication that WASN'T a narcotic, etc. Camille really, REALLY, hoped that this appointment went well. She wanted a new decent prescription, positive news about James' healing process, and an overall "two thumbs up" about James. Was that seriously going to happen, though? The chances were slim to none in Camille's mind, and she normally wasn't a negative-thinking kind of person. Kendall came out of his bedroom, ready to go, too. Camille wrapped her arm around his waist, "How are you doing?" she asked, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss him.<p>

Kendall rested his hands on either side of her face and dipped his head down to return the kiss, deepening it this time. Well, a kiss really was not an answer, but Camille would take it. She wrapped both of her arms around his neck, her forearms brushing against the soft hair that flipped up and curled against the nape of his neck.. She felt Kendall smile against her lips, and he brought one hand up to cup the back of her head, gently burying his fingers into her hair. He pulled away after several seconds, panting slightly, his head still titled an angle and his lips inches away from hers. Camille felt goose bumps cover her arms and she exhaled deeply, trying to calm her erratically beating heart. The way Kendall made her feel was indescribable.

"I feel _much_ better" Kendall said, brushing his lips against hers in a tease of a kiss. Camille smiled and nodded, still a little dazed. Kendall grinned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into tight hug.

"I mean it, Camille. I don't know what I would do or where I would be without you." Kendall whispered, the statement evidently genuine by his tone of voice.

Camille hugged him back and smoothed her hand up and down the small of his back, "Same here, Kendall, same here." she whispered. Camille stayed silent as Kendall continued to hold her in a hug. Camille kissed his shoulder as he threaded his long, slender fingers through her curls. Camille smiled to herself - he was so darn cute.

"I love you…so much." Kendall whispered softly, his lips brushing against her ear.

"I know you do, Kendall, and I love you, too. Very, VERY much." Camille whispered back. She pulled away, and kissed him, and Kendall's smile was all dimples as he kissed her back.

"Okay. Everyone else is waiting in the car, so we'd better get to movin'." Camille suggested, still smiling at him. Kendall nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist as they left the apartment together.

Camille began to bite on her fingernails, James had been alone with the doctor for over an hour now - Camille was getting nervous. As if on cue, the office door flew open and out came Dr. Andy. "Well, guys, I have good news and bad news." the doctor said, strategically removing her rubber gloves and tossing them into a nearby biohazard garbage can. Camille gulped and she felt Kendall tense beside her. Camille reached out and rested her on his leg comfortingly.

"We can definitely change James' medication to something less potent; however, it may not be as effective as the hydromorphone. The bad news is, James' ribs don't seem to be healing very quickly. So, I don't really recommend changing the medication. As the narcotic leaves his system, the pain will increase" Dr. Andy said.

Camille figured that the doctor was going to say something like that, but Camille just shook her head, "I wish I didn't have to change his meds, doctor; but, he's been terribly sick because of them. Which, I think, is just as bad as the pain".

Dr. Andy nodded, understanding completely. "All right, I trust your judgment, Camille. I'm almost done with James." she answered.

Camille felt her face fall with disappointment - she had been hoping that the doctor was done already. "Okay. Can Kendall and I come in?" Camille asked timidly.

Dr. Andy shook her head "I'm sorry, Camille. I suggest that just one of you come in. This appointment has taken it's toll on James, he's really tired…and a little jumpy right now." she replied.

Camille looked at Kendall, silently asking him what they should do. "You go ahead, Camille. You do a better job when it comes to James being in this kind of mood." Kendall said, rubbing her back. Camille nodded and followed Dr. Andy back into the room.

She was pretty sure her heart instantly fell into her stomach when she entered the hospital room. James was on top of the blankets, wearing just a hospital gown - which, because of his height, ended just above his knees. He was unusually pale and appeared very childlike as he laid innocently in the middle of the bed, looking terribly frightened and tired.

"Hi there, James." Camille said, wandering over to the edge of the bed. She looked inquisitively at Dr. Andy, asking permission to sit, and the doctor nodded. Camille hopped up onto the bed and got underneath the blankets. She didn't really need to get comfortable and under the covers, but maybe James would feel a little more at ease if she was calm and comfy.

"Can he be covered up a little more?" Camille asked quietly, the goose bumps on James' bare legs and arms not going unnoticed, and Dr. Andy nodded, again. Camille reached down and pulled the thin sheets over James' lower body and up to his chest.

"Are you doing all right?" Camille asked softly, straightening the sleeve of the hospital gown that had fallen off of his shoulder.

James nodded, blinking slowly. "M' okay" he whispered. He snuggled up closer to her, his skin cold against Camille's as he situated himself against her. Camille draped her arm around his shoulders (mindful of his injury) and James rested in the crook of her arm.

"Dr. Andy is almost done, and then we can go home." Camille said and James nodded against her.

"All right, James, I'm going to take a look at your arm really quick." Dr. Andy said, sitting on the other edge of the bed. James unwillingly moved closer to the doctor and she slipped his sleeve off of his shoulder. The doctor unpeeled the bandage from his arm, a frown spreading across her lips as she inspected the cut. Camille couldn't refrain from asking, "What's wrong?" she said.

"This gash is looking a little irritated." Dr. Andy replied, almost more to herself than to Camille. She walked over to the cabinet in the corner of the room and grabbed a few items before returning to the bed. "I think I'm going to have you guys start cleaning and changing these bandages three times a day; and I'll give you some special cleaning solution." she said, spreading an unknown liquid across the gash. James flinched, and a whimper escaped his lips.

"I'm sorry, hon, I know this is kind of cold and uncomfortable feeling." Dr. Andy said, still hard at work cleaning the wound. Camille offered her hand up to James, and he gladly accepted it - happy to have someone to hold onto during this unpleasant moment.

Just about a minute more went by before Dr. Andy rewrapped his arm with fresh bandages. "Okay." she said, rolling in her chair over to the counter top. She scribbled a few things onto a piece of paper and handed it to Camille.

"Here are prescriptions for a new painkiller and a cleaning solution for his arm." Dr. Andy said, and Camille accepted the paper with a nod. "Now, James, this new medication is a non-narcotic analgesic, so it's different from what you have been on. It won't make you sick like the hydromorphone has been, but it's not going to help with the pain as much as that did. So, take it especially easy, and feel free to alternate between heat and ice as much as you want on your chest and sides. Twenty minutes, at least, every two hours, all right?" she said and James nodded.

"Good" Dr. Andy said, standing up with a smile. "Your clothes are right over here on the table, James, so you can get dressed and go on home." she said, still smiling at him reassuringly. "You all take care of yourselves, and I'll see you next week." Dr. Andy said."

"Thanks, doctor." Camille said, waving as the kind woman left the room. "Do you want me to send the boys in to help you with your shirt?" Camille said, her question directed to the shivering brunette that was buried against her side. James nodded - the simple action that he was doing a lot lately.

"Okay. I'll see you in the car." Camille said, slipping out from the bed. James watched her with shadowed hazel eyes, a mixture of worry and exhaustion evident in his expression. Camille couldn't help but give him another reassuring smile and a small wave as she left the room.

Upon seeing Camille come out of the hospital room, Kendall stood up and went to meet her. "How is he?" he asked worriedly.

"Tired…and quiet, that's all I can tell." Camille answered. "Logan, Carlos, will you go on in and help James?" she asked, gesturing to the two boys. Both dark-haired boys nodded and promptly slipped inside of the room to help their friend.

"Hey, where's Katie?" Kendall asked, turning to face Mrs. Knight with a furrowed brow.

"She went down to the cafeteria to get something from the vending machines. Now that you mention it….will you go check on her? She's taking awhile." Mrs. Knight answered, one eyebrow furrowing just like her son's.

"I'll go." Camille volunteered. Kendall kissed her cheek and thanked her before she headed down the hallway. Halfway to the cafeteria, Camille ran into Katie. "Hey, where have ya been?" Camille asked.

"Oh, there was a line at the vending machine, and some guy needed change for a dollar from me, then a little boy was crying because they were out of Twix - chaos." Katie said, laughing. Camille smiled, and accepted a diet Pepsi that Katie handed her.

"Okay, well, James is ready to leave, and we still have to stop by the pharmacy to drop of his prescriptions. We've got quite the drive." Camille said, and Katie nodded. The two of them headed back into the direction of the waiting area, ready to tackle the rest of the harrowing day.

Kendall yawned as he and his family reached the hallway that contained their apartment. It had been a long day, and it was still early. Kendall squinted his eyes halfway down the hall, noticing a piece of paper stuck to his family's apartment door. He looked around at the other doors, confused to see that 2J was the only one with the paper on it. Kendall jogged ahead of the rest of his friends and family, stopping in front of his door. He plucked the note off of the door, noticing something taped to the back of the piece of paper. Kendall turned the paper around, and removed a quarter. His eyebrows furrowed in utter confusion, Kendall fingered the coin, not noticing anything special about it. The rest of the family had caught up with him, looking just as frazzled as he did. "Hey, that's my Canadian quarter that I gave to the guy at the vending machine." Katie exclaimed in confusion. Kendall handed his sister the coin before reading the scribbling on the note. What it said made his heart jump into his throat:

_Do you see how easy it is for me to get to your family and friends?_

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><p><strong>Bet you didn't see that comin'! :D Here's where it gets super intense, ya'll! Review as awesomely as you have been lately, and I PROMISE that I will post the next chapter this SATURDAY! :) <strong>

**Just a warning to you guys: the next chapter is long and SO incredibly angst-filled that it might just make you fall off of your chair! **

**Also, I promise that I actually will keep my promise this time, because this next chapter is already checked by my beta-reader! Haha! :D So, it's all up to you guys to review now! :)  
><strong>


	17. Broken

**AN: Gosh, you guys are freaking wonderful! Ya'll rock SO much, that I'm posting this next chapter NOW…because it's officially Saturday where I live :) BIG TIME THANKS for the reviews! :D I'm glad that the ending of the last chapter was a twist ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

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><p>It had been only been a little over an hour since Kendall had found the note stuck to the apartment door; 2J was already buzzing with people and phone calls. Two detectives were scouting the area of the hotel, despite the fact that they didn't know who to be looking for. Three more detectives, luckily not Detective Anderson, were in the apartment to give it a once over and talk to Mrs. Knight. Unfortunately, the man that Katie had given the quarter to had been wearing his hood up, and Katie hadn't been paying much attention to his looks. Mid-thirties age was the only thing she could offer for a description, and she felt terrible about that. Logan and Carlos were rearranging beds and bedroom, once again, so that no one was alone in their room. Carlos and Logan would be in Katie's bedrooms now, Katie would be with Mrs. Knight; and James, Kendall, and Camille would be sleeping in the living room together from now on.<p>

Gosh, the look on James' face when Kendall had told him what the note said…Camille would never forget it. Then, of course, there was Kendall…who claimed that he was okay, but his actions and facial expression screamed otherwise. Camille sat Indian-style on a bar stool, watching carefully as Kendall and Mrs. Knight talked to the police. The way he stood, the way he shifted his (slight) weight from one foot to the other, and the way his green eyes were stormy. All were pointing to the warning signs that Kendall wasn't okay - he was far from it. Katie was frightened, to say the least, but she was staying close to her mother, and Mrs. Knight was there for her. Camille sighed and hopped off of the stool, beginning to wander down the hallway.

"How's he doing?" Camille asked, as she passed Logan in the hallway.

"He's…scared. To be honest" the raven-haired boy confessed, looking worn. Camille nodded and proceeded to walk to James' room. Logan shot his arm out in front of her, stopping her gently.

"He asked to be alone for a while. Normally, I wouldn't want him to be by himself, but I think he needs some space." Logan said gently, his dark eyes filled with emotion.

A tad disappointed, but understanding completely, Camille nodded and went back to the living room. It could be a very long day.

James had stayed silent and by himself all day, so Logan had moved into his room so that James didn't have to come out into the living room that night. Camille and Kendall stayed in the main room, though, just in case James changed his mind and wanted to be out there with them. It wasn't until midnight, that Camille woke up to a strange noise…and realized that she was alone in the living room. Heart pounding wildly, she stood up and crept down the hallway, following the noise. It wasn't overly loud, but almost as if things were falling off of shelves. With shaking hands, Camille pushed open the door that led to the room containing the ruckus - Kendall's room. There stood the man himself, the man she loved, throwing things violently against the wall and breaking every little item into pieces. Camille knew that he wouldn't hurt her, so she straightened her shoulders with courage, and stepped inside of the room. She flinched as a pencil went flying by her.

"Kendall?" Camille said, wincing at how squeaky her voice sounded. Now that she was closer, she could hear frustrated cries emitting from his lips as he tossed things around, destroying his bedroom easily.

Camille moved closer to him, but jumped a foot as she saw him throw something against the wall beside him and it made a loud shattering noise - great, it had been something glass. "Kendall!" she exclaimed, she was getting scared…scared _about_ him and not _by_ him.

Kendall was too wrapped up in his own rage that he still didn't hear her. Camille ran to him, making the decision to force him to stop…when he picked up his beloved guitar. She saw his lightly -illuminated figure raise the instrument above his head, ready to smash it against the floor. Camille threw her arms up, grasping the instrument tightly before he could bring it down any further.

"Kendall! No!" Camille exclaimed, again, and she removed the guitar from his hands, gently placing it on his bed. She briefly glanced at the bed, just now noticing that the sheets were all askew, as well. Gosh, he had caused a lot of damage. How had she remained asleep during all of this?

"Kendall. Stop." Camille said, talking softly this time. Kendall stood in front of her, completely silent, his body shaking from a mix of emotions.

"Hey, Kendall, it's just me." Camille said, she winced as she felt pieces of something crackle underneath her socks as she moved closer to him.

Camille reached up and smoothed his bangs back soothingly, "Hey. It's okay. Talk to me, Kendall." she whispered. A strangled sob escaped his lips, and he looked down at the ground. Camille frowned, noticing that he was holding his violently shaking hands out in front of him, palms facing upwards.

"Kendall, sweetheart, are you okay?" Camille asked gently, and reached out to take his hands in hers. The minute she lightly touched his skin, he hissed in pain, and Camille recoiled in shock. She looked down, noticing her hands were slick with something. She walked over to the corner and flipped on the small light, the mere 40 watt light bulb not helping much, but just enough. The room was completely destroyed, everything was in pieces, and Kendall was standing in the middle of it all. His hair was askew, his legs were visibly shaking, barely supporting even his slight frame - and his hands were dripping with blood.

It wasn't _hemorrhaging _per say, but there certainly was quite a bit of blood. "Oh my gosh, Kendall. Hon, what did you do to yourself?" Camille exclaimed quietly, going back over to him.

"I-I didn't mean to…I'm sorry…I just. I was just…" Kendall's voice was a mere whisper, and he just trailed off absent-mindedly. He was making no sense whatsoever.

"Okay, okay. It's all right. Let's just…um…let's go to the bathroom and clean up your hands, hmm?" Camille said, trying to sound calm for him. Kendall nodded, just barely, and like an abandoned puppy, followed her out to the bathroom.

Kendall sat down on the edge of the bathtub, quietly staring at his still-bleeding hands as Camille gathered the supplies she needed. Camille turned around to face him. Well, she guessed they'd have to do this on edge of the tub then. Camille sat beside him and took his hand in hers, carefully inspecting his right palm for anymore glass. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any glass stuck in his skin, and Camille was extremely grateful for that. She gently took his hand, lucky that the bathroom was on the small side, and held it under the faucet. She watched him carefully, as she began to turn on the water, he wasn't responding to anything at all…until now. The cool water hit the ravaged skin of Kendall's palm and his cry almost awakened the entire household.

Camille flipped the water off, silently dubbing that it had been enough to clean off the blood. Kendall was still staring off into space, his breathing coming out in short gasps as he tried to recover from the shock of the water on his skin. Camille hated herself for what she had to do now, but she was also blaming some of this on HIM. If he hadn't thrown and touched the glass thingy, they wouldn't be having to do this.

"Kendall…bear with me." Camille warned, right before dabbing a peroxide-dampened cloth over his palm.

"Ah!" Kendall hissed, his fingers reflexively closing over his palm.

"I'm sorry, but I have to." Camille said, not even being able to express how sorry she was for having to do this. Tears began to slip out from underneath Kendall's closed eyes, streaming down his face and hitting the floor. Camille's heart constricted painfully, and she gently pried his fingers open so she could get this palm over with. As gently as she could, Camille wrapped a roll of gauze around his palm entirely and taped it secure.

Camille glanced down at the floor, the sight of tears and blood mingling on the tile a stomach-turning sight. She quickly got up and sat down on the other side of Kendall, taking his hand (skipping the water part this time) and dabbing the dreaded towel over that palm. A strangled sob ripped through Kendall's throat and he hunched over in pain, his entire arm tensing underneath Camille's grasp. She was going to be sick.

With quick movements that would make roadrunner proud, Camille wrapped that palm in gauze just like the other. "Okay, it's all right, I'm done." Camille reassured, kneeling in front of Kendall.

Camille brushed her curls over her shoulder so they weren't in her way. "Hey, hon, look at me." she coaxed, tilting his chin up so he looked at her with shining green eyes. Camille put her arms out and Kendall fell into them, his back sliding against the bathtub as he slid onto the floor.

"He…he was w-with Katie, C-Camille. K-KATIE! M-my baby sister." Kendall sobbed, his bandaged hands fisted in her shirt, which was probably not too good for them.

"I know, Kendall, I know. She's safe now, though." Camille said, stroking his hair as he continued to cling to her tightly. He was taking this harder than Katie herself.

"He attacked James, too, Camille. Wh-what does he want from me?" Kendall cried, his entire body trembling against her.

" I don't know, Kendall. We're safe right here. It's okay." Camille said, not knowing what else to say to her hysterical boyfriend. Tears welled up in her own eyes, as he continued to cry, still wrapped in her arms. "You're okay, baby. We're safe." she whispered in his ear, rhythmically stroking his soft hair.

This person, this man who had left the note, obviously had something against Kendall, and Camille was scared out of her mind. What the hell did he want? Why had he attacked James? Camille had so many worry-filled questions running through her mind, but she was currently occupied with her broken boyfriend lying in her arms. Each one of his heart-wrenching sobs sent goose bumps down her arms - that was one sound she never wanted to hear.

"Please, Camille, promise you'll stay here…with me." Kendall said, his breathing short and uneven as his hysterics got worse. He was struggling to regain his breath, and his chest heaved as he began to panic.

Camille kissed his temple and let her fingertips whisk away a few of the rapidly-falling tears, "I promise, Kendall, I promise" Camille whispered against the side of his face, rubbing her hand up and down his back.

"I promise I will never, ever leave you. Okay?" Camille whispered, her fingers moving up across his shoulders and into his hair. She felt Kendall nod, his head resting on top of her shoulder.

Camille swore, there and then, that this person, that miserable bastard who had caused all of this, would pay. She could almost feel her blood boil even more with each violent tremor that wracked Kendall's small frame and with each one of his tears that absorbed into her shirt.

Camille pulled away just a little and kissed Kendall's cheek, letting her lips linger where she knew his dimples were. She could taste the salty tears running down his face on her lips as soon as she kissed his soft, damp skin. Camille closed her eyes, willing her own tears away. She still had her arms wrapped around him, but they were pulled apart just enough so she could look at him.

Camille reached up with one hand and threaded her fingers through his silky hair consolingly. "You're okay" she breathed. Camille pressed a kiss to his forehead, then to the side of his face, and one to his jaw, trailing across his face. Camille let her lips brush against his skin softly and comfortingly, trying to calm him down. Kendall opened his vibrant green eyes and he looked at her worriedly. Soft sobs and whimpers were still escaping his lips and he just stared at her with bright, wet eyes. He looked so scared and worried. Camille kissed his temple, again, and then pulled him back into a hug. Kendall's body was warm against her, trembling even more with each shuddering breath he took. Camille rubbed her hand up and down his back, trying to calm him and at least stop him from shaking so violently. "It's okay, Kendall. It's okay." Camille whispered. This was going to be a long night.

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><p><strong>Angsty enough for all of you angst-lovers? ;) Please review, buddies! :D Hope you liked the chapter!<strong>

**_ANNOUNCEMENT_: This is the last chapter that I will be posting for two, _possibly_ three, weeks! **

**On Monday, I'm going on vacation for a while and that vacation includes GOING TO SEEE A BIG TIME RUSH CONCERT! Woot woot! I'm so freaking excited! :D During the time of vacation (and spazzing out because of the concert), I won't have access to my computer. I'm super sorry, you guys, that you have to wait longer than usual, but I promise that I will get the next chapter up AS SOON AS I CAN when I get back! :D **

**If you guys review this chapter, I promise that I will post a new chapter (or two!) the minute I get home from vacation, and I'll let you know how the concert was, too! ;)**

**Super sorry, again, you all! I hope that you rad and awesome buddies can forgive me! **** :)  
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	18. Friends

**AN: I'M BAAACCCKKK! :D Thank you so much for all of the reviews! You guys are awesome and I missed ya'll! Vacation was great and the Big Time Rush concert was AMAZING! Those boys are absolutely freaking PERFECT live! They are so breathtakingly talented! Oh, and they are 10x hotter (if not more) in person. I swear I almost passed out from their hotness! Haha :D Well, I had a great time and Big Time Rush was freaking amazing, but MOVING ON! Since I was gone for so long, this is a nice, LONG chapter! Man, it's good to be back! ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

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><p>She could honestly admit that last night had been the longest night of her life. Camille traced her fingertips across Kendall's skin, starting at his sideburns and then trailing down across his strong jaw. Anger rising in her chest, again, at the sight, Camille rubbed her thumb over the traces of dried tears that trailed down the sides of Kendall's face. The two of them had sat on the bathroom floor for an hour before they had finally moved to their nest on the living room floor. Camille was sitting upright, her back against the front of the couch, and her legs stretched out in front of her. Kendall was lying curled up with his knees to his chest, his back against the couch, as well, and his head resting in her lap. Kendall had literally cried himself to sleep against her, and those hours spent with him on the floor, holding him, were forever engrained in Camille's mind. As tired as she had been, Camille was still awake despite the fact that it was practically morning by now. She had been absent-mindedly stroking Kendall's hair softly, tracing his features, and rubbing his back and shoulders ever since he had fallen asleep. Kendall hadn't actually been asleep for much longer than an hour and a half, and he needed WAY more sleep than that. Camille didn't care if she had to sit like this for the rest of the week, she was never leaving this man - especially not now. She bent down and pressed a feather-light kiss to Kendall's temple, "I'm right here." she whispered.<p>

Camille pulled a fallen fuzzy blanket back over Kendall, comfortingly smoothing her small hand over his muscular back and shoulders. Camille wasn't usually an angry person…okay, she took that back, she could have a temper; but, never towards loved ones and friends. Whoever the hell was doing this to her friends, her second _family_, and the man she loved deeply…that person was going to regret ever being born once she got a hold of his face. Camille swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat as memories from last night came flooding back to her. Why them? What had they done to deserve this? Camille's eyes closed, images of James being so sick flashing through her head, along with a frightened Katie clinging to Mrs. Knight. Then, images from last night - Kendall curled up in her arms, tears streaming down his face as he sobbed. He had cried for James last night, he had cried for her, and he had cried for his family. It was eerily quite in the apartment, the sun was slowly rising, it's rays peaking into the windows as if asking permission to enter. The quiet hum of the hotel air conditioning and the sound of Kendall's deep, even breathing were the only things Camille could hear. A whimper escaped Kendall's lips, his fair eyelashes fluttering as he turned onto his back and stretched out his legs. Camille smoothed the back of her hand down his cheek, "You're okay, Kendall." she said. It was only 7:30am, so Camille still had a chance to get some sleep. Worth a shot, right?

"Hey, you guys all right?" asked a voice. Camille, who hadn't even been asleep, opened her eyes and saw a very sleepy looking Logan kneeling beside her. "Is he okay?' Logan whispered, again, rubbing Kendall's arm as he spoke.

Camille, sick of trying to sound positive while sugar-coating everything, just shook her head. "No, he's not" she replied.

Logan seemed to become paler at this blunt confession, but he just nodded. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"No, that's all right. I'm going to sit here with him for a while longer. He really needs his sleep." Camille replied. She had been sitting here, pretty much meditating and trying to calm herself down. She looked down at Kendall and ran her hand through his hair, her fingers easily threading through the silken strands. Surprisingly, he looked quite peaceful as he laid on his back, his head still resting on her lap.

Logan frowned and rubbed Kendall's forearm, again. "Okay, well, I'm going to take a shower. Let me know if you need anything." he said. Camille mouthed her thanks, and Logan got up and left after giving Kendall another sympathetic glance.

Camille sat there in a stupor for some amount of time. By now, everyone was up (with the exception of James) and doing their own daily routine. At around 9:30am, Kendall stirred, his eyelashes fluttering as he fought to wake up. He looked up at her, his green eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep, amongst other things. Camille rubbed his back lovingly and gave him a small smile. "You okay?" she asked casually, keeping her voice soft and low. Kendall bit down on his lower lip, but nodded slightly.

"Okay, I'm going to get up and change clothes. I'll be back in a little bit, though." Camille said and Kendall just nodded, again. Ever so gently, Camille lifted up his head and slipped out from underneath him, quickly replacing her lap with a soft pillow. "Get some more sleep, hon" she whispered, bending down and kissing Kendall softly on the lips.

"I'll try" Kendall whispered back, his voice hoarse from the events of last night. Camille couldn't resist, she bent down, again, and kissed his forehead before getting up to leave.

First things first, Camille stopped by James' room to check on him before she showered. The room was dark, his room-darkening curtains pulled shut, even though Camille didn't remember them being that way last night.

"Good morning, James. How are you feeling?" Camille asked, sitting down on the bed beside him. He was just lying there, on his back, staring up at the ceiling, just like the other morning. Camille ran her hand through his hair comfortingly, the slightly-damp dark strands easily slipping through her fingers, and he looked up at her in response to the touch. "I'm…ok" he replied. _Yeah, sure he was_.

Camille could tell just be the way he looked at her, the messages his eyes were sending, that he wasn't all right. "Did you take your Tylenol?" she asked and James just nodded. "Did it help at all?" she asked, worried about the answer. "No." James breathed, his eyes trailing up to gaze upon the ceiling once again.

"James" Camille whispered. James blinked rapidly, his absurdly long eyelashes hitting the dark bangs that were falling in his eyes. It took a minute, but the silence finally got to him and he looked at her. "What?" he asked, sounding exhausted and frustrated. Camille reached down and pulled him into a hug, one hand cupping the back of his head and the other rubbing his back. James wrapped one arm around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, finding solace in the simple, yet consoling gesture. He exhaled deeply and Camille gently lowered him back down onto the bed. "Thanks" he whispered, genuine appreciation in his hazel eyes.

Camille nodded. The boy needed to learn how to just ask for a hug. "Can I get you anything?" she asked, resituating the blankets over his body.

"No. Thanks, though." James replied, sounding helpless. Camille chewed on her lower lip, mentally noting that she would need to find something for him to do today. Lying in bed, with obviously too much time to ponder things, was not good for him - at all.

"Okay. Just rest for a little while, and I'll be back to check on you in a bit." Camille said, rubbing his arm once more. James just nodded, looking very solemn and Camille left, leaving his door open a crack. Well, it was 9:40am and this day already sucked.

Camille crept over and stood next to the kitchen table where Logan was catching up on homework. Mrs. Knight and Katie were nowhere to be seen, Carlos was brushing his teeth, and Kendall was asleep, curled up in a ball, still in his nest. "Hey, Logan, could you let Mrs. Knight know that I'm going back to my apartment to change?" Camille whispered.

Logan looked up from his paper and gave her his trademark crooked smile, "Sure thing, Camille. See you in a bit." he replied.

Camille smiled in gratitude and tiptoed over to where Kendall was sleeping, and she knelt down beside him. Camille exhaled deeply, thankful that he had fallen asleep after she'd left. She brushed her fingers through his hair and pulled the blanket up higher over his broad shoulders. He looked so peaceful - it was nice. "I'll be back, love." Camille whispered, pressing a light kiss to his temple. She stood up and smiled down at him once more before heading to her apartment.

"Hey, Dad, I'm home!" Camille exclaimed as she entered her apartment and walked into her living room.

"Hi there, sweetheart! How have things been?" her dad asked as he flipped through a newspaper. Camille winced, they had all decided to keep the note a secret so that her dad stayed safe.

"Tiring. James still isn't doing too well." Camille replied. She grabbed a towel from the closet in the hall and proceeded to go to the bathroom.

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that, sweetie." her dad replied. Camille nodded to herself and closed the bathroom door. She was going to need a very long, very warm shower.

Camille blew out a breath as she glanced in the now-steamed up mirror. She had to admit…she'd seen better days. She was clad in a pair of simple jeans, a plum strappy tank top, and her favorite necklace. Camille slipped a hair band off of her wrist and quickly tied back her unruly, wet curls into a high ponytail. She had a very simple amount of natural-looking makeup on, but nothing would help her bloodshot, tired eyes. Camille sighed, surrendering to the irreversible looks of sleep deprivation, and left the bathroom. She hugged her dad, said goodbye, and headed back towards 2J, passing two on-guard police officers.

"I'm back." Camille said as she stepped inside of her second home. The sight that she was met with caused her to instantly and involuntarily frown. Carlos was sitting on the end of the swirly slide, his helmet tucked underneath his arm, and a heart-wrenching sad look on his handsome face. Katie was seated at the kitchen table, seeming distracted as she struggled with homework. Mrs. Knight was on the couch, one arm around Kendall's shoulders as Logan knelt on the floor in front of him and cleaned his hands. Camille slipped off her shoes and set her purse on the floor, walking over to sit beside Kendall. She couldn't suppress a tiny sigh as she saw him closer. He was visibly shaking like a leaf, pale and exhausted looking, and biting down hard on his lower lip.

Camille sat down beside Kendall and rubbed his shoulder with a gentle touch, "Hey, there." she whispered. Kendall tore his gaze away from Logan's methodical and gentle doctoring, and looked at Camille. That look of fear that had nearly torn her heart in half last night was ever so present in his eyes, but along with pain and exhaustion this time.

Camille reached up and smoothed his silky bangs to the side, "It's okay" she breathed. Kendall closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers with a deep sigh. Logan looked up at the two of them, his chocolate eyes filled with raw sympathy. Camille pressed her lips to Kendall's forehead in a soft kiss, and then wrapped her arm around him. Mrs. Knight, seeing that Camille was there for her son now, got up and left to take a much-needed break. Kendall still kept his shaking hands, turned palm-up and on his lap for Logan to continue to work on, but he leaned his head against Camille's chest.

Camille leaned back against the couch, getting comfortable, and wrapped her other arm around him to hold him against her gently. Logan dabbed a particularly deep cut with a towel and Kendall hissed, his fingers curling in towards his palm reflexively. "I'm sorry, Kendall. These cuts are pretty nasty. How, again, did this happen?" Logan asked.

It was silent for a few seconds, but then Kendall spoke up, "It was an accident" he whispered innocently. Just the way he said that made Camille kiss the top of his head comfortingly.

"Aw, buddy, I know it was just an accident." Logan reassured gently, thinking that his friend felt at fault for something. "I was just wondering what cut your hands like this." he said, gently wrapping more gauze around the literally ravaged skin on his friend's palms.

"I..I broke a glass cup" Kendall whispered, looking up at Camille with apologetic green eyes. Camille gave him a small smile, and ran her hand through his hair consolingly. She knew Kendall felt guilty about his breakdown last night, and there was absolutely no need for that. Logan nodded, chewing on his lower lip as he finished taping the bandages and gauze in place. Just a few minutes went by before Logan stood up and grabbed his things. The raven-haired boy stopped short, though, as he saw his friend's tear-filled green eyes.

Logan got back down onto his haunches right in front of Kendall. "Hey, Kendall, it's all right." Logan reassured softly, his eyes kind as he looked at Kendall. "You're okay, and we all are okay. There are policemen all around the hotel. There's nothing to worry about." he said, and waited a minute for a response. Kendall stayed silent, though, and continued to just look at Logan.

"Why don't you take some Tylenol to help with the pain from your hands, and then go get some rest with Camille for awhile, buddy. You need some sleep, and it'll help your hands heal faster, okay?" Logan said. He reached out and rubbed Kendall's shoulder gently.

Kendall swallowed hard, and nodded, "Ok. Thanks, Logan." he said in such a whisper that his words were barely audible.

"No problem, Kendall. Now go on." Logan said, flashing a crooked smile at the two of them. Camille smiled back as she watched the caring boy get up off the floor and leave.

Kendall leaned his head back to rest against Camille and pulled his legs up to his chest. Camille wrapped both arms around him and very carefully and gently took his shaking, bandaged hands in hers. She pressed her lips against his ear, "It's okay." she whispered. Kendall tilted his head back and looked up at her meekly, his hands trembling even harder in Camille's gentle grasp.

"I'm going to go get you some Tylenol and then we can go lie down for a bit." Camille said. Kendall nodded, still looking up innocently at her. Camille trailed feather-light kisses down the side of his face and down to his jaw before releasing his hands. Kendall closed his eyes, relaxing against Camille as he took deep, even breaths.

"I'll meet you in your room." Camille whispered, kissing him one last time on his soft lips before carefully getting out from behind him. Camille stepped inside the bathroom and grabbed a few Tylenol and a (plastic) cup of water. When she came back out into the living room, Kendall was gone, and Carlos had resumed his seat on the end of the swirly slide. Camille set the items down on a table and walked over to sit beside the young Latino. Carlos was absent-mindedly playing with the straps on his helmet, silently…which was uncommon for him.

"Hey, you doing all right?" Camille asked. Carlos looked up at her, his dark brown eyes shining with unshed tears, and he shook his head. Camille really couldn't handle the boys like this - it was killing her. She put her arm around Carlos's shoulders and he leaned into her embrace gratefully. "I hate seeing Kendall and James like this." Carlos said, looking up at Camille.

"I know, Carlos. I do, too." Camille replied, putting her arm around his shoulders, again, with a sigh.

"Kendall's really upset, isn't it?" Carlos asked innocently and Camille just nodded. "I saw his bedroom this morning. I know that what happened to his hands wasn't just an accident." Carlos whispered.

Camille nodded, again, "Yeah, Kendall was having a tough time last night. We're going to get through this, though." she reassured. Yeah, "tough time" was an understatement. Carlos nodded, and swallowed hard. "It's okay, Carlos." Camille said, leaning forward to press a kiss to his forehead.

"Okay" Carlos whispered, and Camille wrapped him in a warm hug, yet again. Camille smiled and stood up, grabbing the Tylenol and water as she headed back to Kendall's room. Kendall would take a nap with her, and then she'd go visit James and see how he was doing. This day would be over soon enough, right? Wrong…

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! REVIEW as stupendously awesome as you have been and I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can! :D <strong>


	19. Home Alone

**AN: Woohoo! Thank you all for the amazing reviews! So sorry this is later than planned! My beta-reader went on a semi-unexpected vacation of her own! Haha! Thanks for your reviews and patience! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

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><p>Camille pulled her shirt over her head, and then slipped out of her jeans before padding over to grab her "emergency clothes" duffle bag from Kendall's closet. She held her breath, under the illusion that this would help her stay quiet, as she walked past Kendall's bed. Kendall was asleep already, the covers pulled up to his chin and his golden-colored strands of hair splayed behind him on the pillow. He was curled up on his side, and his lips were parted slightly as he breathed evenly in his sleep. In short, Kendall looked like the definition of an angel. Camille smiled at him sweetly as she slipped on a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. After she was done changing, Camille climbed into bed on the same side as Kendall, snuggling underneath the cool, light covers. Instantly, the movement of the blankets caused the intoxicating smell of Kendall's light cologne, shampoo, and body soap to waft up and surround Camille. Smiling, Camille happily inhaled it as she moved closer to Kendall and turned on her side, her back pressing up against his chest. Camille smiled, once again, as she felt Kendall take a deep breath, his warm minty breath brushing past her ear and moving a few of her curls to the side. Kendall stretched out his legs so they were pressed up against the backs of hers, and wrapped both arms around her, pulling her closer against his warm, firm chest.<p>

"I love you" Kendall whispered, his lips parted just a few inches away from the skin of her cheek.

"I love you, too" Camille replied, tilting her head up just a little bit so she could look at him. Green eyes met her dark chocolate ones and that instant chemistry that they had first shared was re-experienced.

Camille reached up a little higher, connecting her lips with his silken ones. Kendall brought one bandaged hand up to slip his fingers into her curls, gently grasping at them as the kiss became more intimate. Kendall pulled away several seconds later, knowing that Camille didn't want to go too far. His lips hovering above hers, Kendall opened his eyes slowly to look at her. Camille opened her eyes, as well, once again amazed by how much she loved the man who was gazing down at her lovingly, his green eyes piercing. Kendall smiled softly down at her, the first smile she had seen in almost two days, and then got back behind her, rewrapping his arms around her waist. Camille rested her head back against his chest, his steady heartbeat pressed against her ear. Kendall's body relaxed against her, the warmth of his skin comforting her, despite the happenings of the past few days. Within minutes, the sound of Kendall's beating heart lulled Camille to sleep.

Surprisingly, the two of them slept throughout the rest of the evening and until the next morning. Camille was, to say the least, frazzled by the time that had flown by, but she was extremely grateful that she and Kendall had gotten the sleep that they had needed. Breakfast was quiet as Katie got ready for school, and Carlos and Logan tried not to stare at Kendall's bandaged hands. It wasn't the wounds that bothered them so much, it was the fact that Kendall had actually lost control a few nights ago - enough to accidentally injure himself. Kendall kept his eyes down and to either his plate or Camille's hair throughout meals. He still felt ashamed of what had happened that night. He had completely broken down, destroyed his bedroom, and sobbed on his beloved Camille the entire night. He had apologized numerous times to her, despite her pleadings that he had no need to do so, but that was just the way Kendall was. He could feel the stares that he and his hands got from his friends and his dearest little sister. For some reason, the only person who didn't stare, other than Camille, was his mother. Her eyes would glance down at his hands with sympathy once in awhile, but other than that, she did nothing but look at him with kind, understanding eyes. It was comforting, and it was loving - which he guessed was what mothers did naturally.

Then there was Camille. He could honestly say that he loved her with every fiber of his being. She could never fully understand just how much she meant to him. Those nights, like last night, for instance, where she just laid beside him, letting him hold her - those were the moments that meant the world to him. Kendall couldn't even fathom the thought of what things would be like without her. She was his everything. He couldn't even think about how things would have been if she wouldn't have been with him during all of this. If only this nightmare would end quickly, and this lunatic would be caught. Kendall had no idea what this man wanted from him, but his throat constricted painfully every time he thought about that note he had found on his door. This man, this monster, had had contact with Katie. The mere thought of this man being so close to his sister, and attacking James covered Kendall's body in irreversible goose bumps. As scared as he was, though, every time Camille looked over at him with her compassionate, warm, and loving brown eyes; and brushed her soft fingers through his hair or intertwined his fingers with hers, everything became easier. It literally got easier to breathe when she touched him or looked at him. He loved her - irrevocably so.

The afternoon went by rather quickly, Logan and Carlos left, unwilling and police-escorted, to go rehearse at Rocque Records, and Katie left for school. James, according to Mrs. Knight, was doing all right but wanted to be left alone for awhile. Camille, to say the least, was worried about him. Since when did James want nothing to do with his family and friends? Well, Mrs. Knight and Kendall were getting ready to go down to the pharmacy and pick up James' new medication, and that's when Camille would go talk to him and figure out what was wrong.

"We'll be right back, Camille." Mrs. Knight said as she grabbed her purse and exited the apartment. Camille nodded, and went into the kitchen to grab a water, but was stopped when a long, slim arm was wrapped around her waist from behind.

"I'll be back soon. You're sure it's okay if I leave? I can stay if you don't feel comfortable being alone with James." came Kendall's worried whisper in Camille's ear.

Camille pulled out of his arms and turned around to hug him from the front, "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm perfectly okay, and you should go with your mom." Camille said, running her hand up and down his muscular back reassuringly.

Kendall pulled away and kissed her chastely, "Okay." he whispered, still sounding unwilling to leave. Camille gave him a "it's all right" smile and he smiled softly back before leaving with Mrs. Knight.

With a deep sigh to prepare herself, Camille grabbed her bottle of water from the fridge and headed towards James' bedroom to figure things out - fast. Camille didn't even bother knocking, there wasn't a reason to anymore since James was in so much pain that it would be impossible for him to remove his clothing and be indecent. It was still dark in his room, the furniture mere shadows as she entered it and her eyes tried to adjust to the rapid decrease in light.

"James?" Camille whispered as she approached the bed. She swerved out of the way, passing by his long legs that were hanging off the end of the bed, and sat down beside him. Reaching out with gentle fingers, she smoothed his dark hair back rhythmically.

"James, are you doing all right?" Camille asked softly. He was lying on his side, taking deep, even breaths, obviously awake. In the darkness, Camille could see the movement as he shook his head no.

Camille laid down completely behind him and rubbed his back consolingly. "Tell me what I can do to help, James." she asked sympathetically.

James carefully turned to lie flat on his back and took a shuddering breath. "There isn't anything, Camille." he whispered, his voice thick with frustration and heartbreaking helplessness. Camille reached up and took his hand that was resting on his waist and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Kendall and Mrs. Knight went to go get your new medication and we'll give that try, hmm? We're going to get through this, sweetie." Camille reassured. James closed his eyes and nodded slightly, his warm hand still holding onto Camille's.

A few minutes of silence passed before there was a loud knock on the apartment door.

"Police!" Came the muffled shout. Camille's heart jumped into her throat. What had they found? Legs shaking uncontrollably, Camille got off the bed and staggered out into the main room to answer the door. She flung the door open, and was about to ask what was going on, but her breath hitched in her throat.

"Don't scream." the man hissed at her, motioning a gun towards her. Camille shook her head rapidly and took a step backwards, her heel hitting the back of one of Katie's shoes, causing her to fall backwards onto her back. This was no police officer. The man was dressed in all black, in his late 40s, and had a permanent, hair-raising scowl on his face. Heart racing, Camille glanced around on the floor to see if there was anything she could grab to defend herself; but there wasn't anything. With nothing else left to do, Camille did the last thing she could think of - scream. "JAMES RUN!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. He needed to get out of here - and fast. Anger flashed in the man's eyes as he stood over her, and he raised his gun. Camille squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered. This was going to be the end of her. Camille waited, her heart pounding, to hear the gunshot, but nothing came. Just as she opened her eyes, the man lunged forward and the gun connected with the side of her face - everything went black.

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><p><strong>Whoa! Cliffhanger, eh? ;) Pretty please review and let me know your thoughts! Okay, so I've got a big favor to ask of you awesome peeps. Do you think we could reach 105 reviews? Tell you what, if I reach 105 or more reviews, I'll post the next chapter (which will be epic) as soon as possible! If not, well, you just might have to wait awhile to see what happens next ;) <strong>


	20. Missing

**AN: WHOA! You guys are FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for the reviews! You all really do rock! :D As promised, here's the next chapter already! I appreciate them SO much and it means a lot to me! :D  
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**CandySmile, if you're reading this, I went to** **reply to your review and it said that you disabled the ability to PM you so THANK YOU FOR YOUR AWESOME REVIEW! :D**

**Anonymous reviewer "Q": Thank you so much for all of your long reviews they are awesome!**

**JayD98: Thank you VERY much for your kind, long review! I'm so glad you're loving the story! :D**

**CountryPeach05: Thank you for your review! Happy to hear you're enjoying the story so much! Hope you feel better! :)  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

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><p>Her head was pounding, everything was blurry, and her arms were killing her. Camille blinked, and what looked like a blurry landing helicopter with spinning propellers changed into a clear ceiling fan above her. Camille groaned and sat up, squirming for a minute to resituate herself into more of a comfortable situation. Her head began to pound, again, and the room began to spin. She reached up and pressed the palm of her hand gently against the side of her head that had come in contact with the butt of the gun. She hissed in pain as the touch aggravated the wound and she pulled her hand away, her fingers now sticky with drying blood. Her senses were coming back to her in full velocity. Her head was aching, her heart was racing, her breathing sped up, and goose bumps covered her arms and legs as she realized just how cold it was in the room she was in. The floor of the room was concrete, she noticed, as she swept her now-focusing eyes around the room. It was a decent sized room, no furniture, just a random pipe in the middle of it, with a figure tied to it. Wait, what? Camille shook her head rapidly, thinking she was seeing things - but, no.<p>

Forgetting her current condition, Camille jumped up into a standing position, but quickly regretted it. Instantly, the world began to spin and her stomach started to turn violently. With a groan, she reached her hand out and steadied herself against the wall behind her. She took a deep breath, inhaling the cold hair that was nearly icy enough to make her lungs sting in annoyance. Closing her eyes briefly and taking a few deep even breaths, Camille tried to calm her rapidly-beating heart, but to no avail. Her stomach settled down and she slowly opened her eyes, again. The walls were no longer doing summersaults and the floor was stationary like it was supposed to be. Stepping carefully, Camille made her way over to the figure that was slumped over, hands tied behind their back around the pipe. "No. No, no, no!" Camille exclaimed under her breath as she dropped down on her knees in front of the figure. The person's dark hair was hanging in their face due to being slumped forward at such an awkward position, and Camille only knew one person with almost-black, silken hair like that. "H-hey" Camille forced out. She got the response she was dreading. An agonized moan escaped parted, bleeding lips and the figure slowly raised his head. Camille's face fell, despite the fact that she had been expecting this, and she sighed. Pain-filled, scared hazel eyes looked up at her from beneath strands of dark bangs, "Camille" James whimpered.

Camille nodded slightly and ran her fingers over the already blue and purple bruises lining James' jaw and the entire left side of his face. Blood was slowly leaking from his split lower lip and cuts were scattered across his bare arms, showing that he had put up quite a fight. Another cry of pain from James pulled Camille back to reality and she crawled on her hands and knees to go behind him. Her hopes of releasing James were quickly diminished as she saw that his hands were tightly tied with extremely thick rope. Camille's fingers brushed against James' hands as she began to attempt to untie it but James' sharp inhalation stopped her, "No, please don't." he breathed. Upon further examination, Camille saw the reason why he had said that.

His wrists were raw, bruised, and bleeding, obviously from the rope rubbing against them violently. "Okay, okay, I won't. I'm sorry." Camille apologized, moving to sit kneel in front of him again. "No, _I'm _sorry, Camille." James whispered, his voice breaking.

Camille's eyebrows furrowed instantaneously at this comment, "Hey, James, there's no reason to be sorry, it's okay." she reassured.

James shook his head rapidly, "I tried to fight him off, but I wasn't…I wasn't strong enough." he confessed, his voice thick with emotion.

"No, James, that's okay. There was no way that he was going to let us get away. It's not your fault." Camille reassured softly, reaching up to sweep his bangs out of his tear-filled eyes.

James shook his head, again, "Yes, y-yes, it is. A-are we even going to make it out of this alive?" he asked, his breath hitching in his voice causing the last sentence to come out as a hiccup. For the first time in her life, Camille was speechless as she watched James begin to sob. Camille opened her mouth to try to tell him that everything was going to be okay and that they _would_ survive this, but nothing came out. Camille licked her quickly-chapping lips and swallowed the lump in her throat that felt like someone had shoved a handful of cotton down her windpipe. No, she needed to be strong, like always; but she just couldn't. The severity of the situation was being revealed as Camille thought about where they were and who had them. Who was this man? Where were they? Why did he kidnap them? What did this have to do with Kendall? Oh, God, Kendall. Camille's heart sped up once more as she thought of how he must be feeling right now. He had been broken enough lately with the recent happenings. Kendall needed her right now, and she needed him just as much.

Thoughts and images of Kendall flooded Camille's already tortured mind and James' sobs grew more violent. Unprecedented, hot tears began to stream down Camille's face. Slipping down over her lips, leaving a strong salty taste on them, and dripping off of her chin to land on the concrete floor. Camille bent her head and watched the tears fall to the concrete, the smallest amount of salty liquid making a large stain on the floor and collecting quickly. She couldn't be crying. She shouldn't be crying; but there was no stopping it. Camille rubbed the back of her shaking hand over her mouth, wiping at the tears collecting there, but all it did was coat her skin in the offending tears. Camille scooted closer to James and wrapped her arms around him as best as she could despite his position. James leaned forward, stretching the rope around his wrists, and rested his forehead against her shoulder. Camille brought one hand up to cup the back of his head, stroking his hair with her fingers, and rubbed his shoulders with the other one. What scared her was that he hadn't even mentioned his ribs, which were bound to be aching. Camille sniffled, trying to stop her own tears, but to no avail. She wanted nothing more than to stop crying and to tell James that everything was okay; but, she couldn't…because nothing about this was okay.

Kendall let out a hearty laugh as he walked down the hallway with Carlos, Logan, and Mrs. Knight. Carlos and Logan had been released from "Rocque Prison" at the same time that he and Mrs. Knight had arrived back at the Palm Woods.

"You should've been there! It was awesome, Kendall!" Carlos exclaimed at the end of his story about his second fight with a new coffee machine of Gustavo's. Kendall laughed once more as they turned the corner to the hallway that contained apartment 2J.

"Haha, yeah, I wish I could have seen that, Ca-" Kendall stopped mid-sentence and froze as he saw the door to his apartment standing open. "No" he whispered, dropping the grocery bags as he bolted down the rest of the hall to the apartment. Kendall stopped at the door frame as he gazed inside of the room. Mrs. Knight, Carlos, and Logan quickly ran over to him and froze, too.

Furniture was overturned, shattered glass covered the carpet, items were thrown all over the room - in short, it looked like a tornado had hit. "No!" Kendall yelled, running into the room. Logan and Carlos exchanged horror-stricken looks as they watched their friend run room to room, calling out to Camille and James.

"They're…they're not here!" Kendall yelled, coming back to the main room and pacing agonizingly. Kendall's handsome face drained of all color and he violently thrust his hands into his innocent hair. "No, no, no, no." he whispered over and over again. There were no words spoken as the only sound heard was the crunch of glass from beneath Kendall's Vans. Then he stopped, something catching his eyes, and strode over to the corner of the room. Logan watched, mortified, as Kendall crouched down and picked some things up off the ground. Logan swallowed hard and walked over to stand by his friend. In Kendall's shaking hands were James' lucky comb, a hair band that Camille had been wearing this morning, and a small piece of paper. Logan bit down hard on his lower lip and looked up at Kendall's expressionless face. Logan opened his mouth to ask what the note said, but he was interrupted as the piece of paper fluttered to the floor and Kendall dropped to his knees. Logan sighed in sympathy, got down on his knees next to Kendall, and picked up the piece of paper. The raven-haired boy glanced warily once more at his friend, who was white as sheet and shaking like a leaf, his face expressionless. Hearts pounding in their throats, Logan and Carlos read the note.

_I told you it was easy._

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><p><strong>Hehehe! I love writing cliffhangers! Review! Alright guys, a review goal I've always had is 115, and I know that's a lot, but I'd seriously appreciate it if you guys could please help me get there! I'll post the next<strong> **chapter super soon if you do! :D So, what do you think? :D**


	21. Meet Jonathan

**AN: Woot woot! Grazie mille, you guys! I love ya'll so much :D Haha. Your awesomeness is mind-blowing, therefore here's the next chapter! :D **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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><p>Katie didn't avert her gaze from her fingers as she gently threaded them through her brother's golden strands of hair. She was seated Indian-style at the foot of her bed - quite more uncomfortable than she had been on the floor - with Kendall's head resting on her lap. Katie sighed and traced her fingertips gently over his jaw. She was so worried about Camille and James that she could barely think straight. She had to be strong, though, for her brother. With Mrs. Knight being distraught, herself, with one of her boys missing and Camille missing, too, Kendall didn't have anyone else to just lie with. It had been three hours since they'd arrived home to find their apartment destroyed, and police were still here. Some kind-hearted officers had even come over to help fix up the apartment whilst still writing reports and putting out "BOLOS" for Camille and James. Logan and Carlos were trying their best to not fall apart, but, of course, it wasn't easy. A mere strange attack on James had turned into a full-blown investigation with a family member and Kendall's girlfriend missing. Kendall had been completely quiet for the first hour and a half, not responding to anybody's words or touch - in short, he was in shock. That was until Katie finally helped him to her room so he could escape the noise and chaos of police officers crammed into their moderately-sized apartment. Kendall had curled himself into a ball at the foot of her bed and started to sob uncontrollably, and it had taken every fiber of Katie's being to not lose control as well. She had only seen Kendall cry a few times in her entire life, and this was by far the worst condition she had ever seen him in. She had barely been able to do anything with him except hold him.<p>

Katie glanced at the clock, and sighed. It had only been fifteen minutes since Kendall had literally cried himself to sleep, fatigue and stress overcoming him. Exhaling deeply, Katie continued to gently stroke Kendall's soft hair back off of his face rhythmically. Normally, her brother looked like an absolute angel whenever he was sleeping and Katie would even admit that it was adorable. However, right now he looked completely distraught, even in this deep sleep, and it was killing her. Tear tracks stained his handsome face, his fair eyelashes were still visibly damp, and there was just a general look of fear and upset on his face. His long, thin legs were pulled tightly up to his chest, one hand fisted and tucked under his chin, while the other was…Katie cocked her head to the side as she noticed that he was holding something tightly with his other hand. Gently, Katie reached over and moved his long fingers slightly, revealing in the palm of his hand the hair band of Camille's that the kidnapper had left. Reflexively, Kendall's hand clenched into a fist tightly around the hair band. Swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat, Katie reached up and brushed her hand through her own hair, smoothing back the annoying strands that were askew before she returned to threading her fingers through Kendall's hair. "I love you, big brother. Everything's going to be okay." she whispered.

Camille took a shuddering breath and rubbed James' shoulder gently. The two of them had cried for a good hour, and now they were absolutely exhausted. James was on the bridge of falling asleep, but the painful and awkward position he was in kept the poor thing from doing so. His wrists had stopped bleeding, but the constant rubbing of the thick rope was just aggravating the wounds, and probably increasing chance of infection. It didn't help that not only were his ribs starting to bother him, but he was suffering from a minor fever already from the wound on his shoulder.

A heartrending whimper escaped James' lips and Camille rubbed his back soothingly, "Hey, you're okay, just breathe." Camille said softly.

"I'm trying" James whispered hopelessly, turning his head to make eye contact with her.

Camille frowned in sympathy, and brushed his hair out of his eyes for him, "I know you are, sweetie." she said, trying not to let his emotion-filled hazel eyes make her start crying, again.

"I'm cold" James whispered, sounding like a helpless child. Camille scooted closer and sat right beside him, so that their shoulders were pressed up against each other.

"I know. I am, too." Camille replied, resting her head on his muscular shoulder. Camille frowned as she felt James begin to shake, emotions building up once again, his body trying to fight of infection while also attempting to deal with the drastic change in temperature. James had literally gone from a comfy bed filled with warm blankets to being tied to a pole in the middle of a freezing cold basement. Camille sniffed and cleared her throat, attempting to keep herself together this time.

"You're okay" Camille whispered, reaching her hand between the pole and his body to rub his back. She could feel his cold skin through his thin pajama shirt and every muscle in his back and shoulders was tense. It was quiet for about 15 minutes, just the sound of James' breathing was heard in the small, cold room.

_**BAM!**_

Camille jumped a foot into the air, but that didn't beat the 2 feet that James jumped as the door flew open. Hearts pounding violently in their throats now, James and Camille cowered closer to each other as their captor entered the basement. James scooted closer to Camille, groaning slightly as the movement strained his wrists even farther, and Camille could feel him begin to shake even harder. The man was even scarier this time around. He had this cold-hearted air about him, and Camille was honestly scared for her and James' lives.

"You comfortable?" the man asked, the unexpected comment making both of them jump, again. The man smirked evilly and Camille narrowed her eyes at him.

"Far from it, no thanks to you." Camille replied. Camille raised one eyebrow, surprised she had even been able to speak correctly whilst shaking this violently. The man smirked, again, seemingly not shocked by her comeback.

"Yes, well, I usually don't try to accommodate my captives." he replied. Camille gulped - captives? _He'd had more captives before them? _

"Why? Why us? Why Kendall?" Camille questioned. Frightened to death of him or not, she needed answers.

"It's simple, really." the man said, pacing before them and making James attempt to scoot even closer to Camille, which was physically impossible.

"I've been watching you and 'your Kendall'" the man began. Goose bumps instantly covered Camille's arms at his comment. _He had been watching them?_

"He loves you very much, it's obvious, and that's why I have you." he said simply, saying it like it was casual conversation to discuss reasons why he kidnapped people.

"And you", he said, getting down on his haunches in front of James, "are just an easy target, boy." he sneered. James stared wide-eyed at the man, absolutely mortified, and Camille wrapped her arms around him protectively.

"Kendall has a soft spot for you, more than the others, you know. He knows just as well as I do that you're just all talk. You have no confidence whatsoever. Because you know, deep down inside, that you're far from good looking, and the palm trees at your little hotel are smarter than you." the man said mockingly, ruffling James' hair none too gently.

"Hey! Leave him alone." Camille demanded angrily. She didn't care of he was scary, she wasn't going to let him just brutally verbally abuse James right in front of her like this. Camille stood up, albeit on shaking legs, and crossed her arms in front of the kneeling captor. Chuckling grimly, the man stood up, too, towering over Camille's petite '5"1 frame so that she took a step back. He reached out and played with a few of her curls,

"You're extremely pretty, but I'm not afraid of making you pay for your big mouth." he threatened. Camille flinched and slapped his hand away defiantly and without hesitation.

The man grew angry quickly and grabbed the front of her shirt roughly in his fists, "Listen here, girly, there are only three things you need to know about me. One, my name is Jonathan Woods, you may or may not have heard of me but you'll learn my story soon enough. Two, I hate your squeeze, Kendall Knight, with every fiber of my being and I will NOT rest until the bastard pays for his wrongdoings. Lastly, you may think you're so tough, but if you don't behave and stop your back talking already, I will not hesitate WHATSOEVER to beat the living daylights out of _him_." he growled angrily, pointing to James' shivering figure. Camille winced as he practically spat the last sentence out at her, his hands still fisted violently in the front of her shirt.

Jonathan gave her a rough shake, "Do you understand me?" he demanded angrily. Camille nodded rapidly, staring at him with wide, frightened brown eyes. This man was obviously a lot more violent than she had thought. With a flick of his wrist, he shoved her, making her fall and hit the ground. Camille caught herself, though, leaving her with merely stinging palms from the impact with the concrete floor.

"Don't treat her like that." came a voice. Camille turned and stared, mortified, at James. For the first time in her life, she saw a spark of anger in James' eyes, and it was surprising. Jonathan just shook his head, chuckling slightly in an irksome way as he stalked over and got on his haunches in front of James. James stood his ground (so to speak) and made eye contact with him as if saying "Yeah, you heard me."

In a millisecond, Jonathan pulled back a little and backhanded James with force like nothing Camille had ever seen. A sickening "smack" echoed loudly in the room and Camille reflexively winced and closed her eyes. James' head whipped to the side from the impact and blood immediately began to spill from his now-ravaged lips and ran down his cleft chin. Camille wanted to scream at the man, but she knew it would only get James in more trouble, so she just sat there, shaking like a leaf. "Don't EVER think you can tell me what I may or may not do, again , or I'll show you what real pain feels like." Jonathan warned, his tone making it clear to not mess with him. Giving James and Camille one more hair-raising look, Jonathan left, slamming the door behind him.

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><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEW, and I'll post the next epic chapter soon! If not, well, you just might have to wait for the next chapter for quite sometime ;)<strong>

**Just a little warning to you guys, from here on out it will earn it's T rating, but for nothing super bad! Just drama, angst, and some violence. Just wanted to give you a fair warning, but it's nothing terrible! :D**

**Oh, and who's super stoked for the NEW EPISODE, NEW SONG, AND NEW MUSIC VIDEO NEXT SATURDAY? WOOHOO!**


	22. Envelopes

**AN: Okie dokie, PLEASE don't kill me for this late update! School, life, and meeting Big Time Rush last weekend really threw me for a loop! Haha. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the lovely reviews! You guys rock and I'm super sorry that my updates haven't been as fast lately, but homework is piling up BIG TIME! I'm doing the best I can, though! Hope you all can forgive me :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but Jonathan Woods.  
><strong>

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><p>After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Logan knocked on Katie's bedroom door. "Come in" came a barely audible whisper from the room. Logan entered the bedroom and closed the door behind him, sighing as he saw the small ball, his friend, at the end of Katie's bed. Logan quickly wiped his own eyes with his shirt sleeve before sitting down beside Kendall's sleeping form. Yeah, Logan had been standing in front of the bathroom sink, sobbing, for the past 15 minutes, but he refused to let anybody find out. "How's he doing?" Logan whispered, glancing up at Katie.<p>

Katie shook her heard and tried to stifle a sniffle, "He cried himself to sleep about 30 minutes ago." she whispered sadly.

Logan closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, willing the hot tears pricking at the corners of his eyes to go away. Logan hated the hopeless look that Katie, practically his own little sister, had on her face. He shook his head and gently stroked Kendall's hair back off of his face a few times adoringly. Katie's lips curved up into a small smile as she saw Logan stroking her brother's hair. Logan and her brother had been such good friends since kindergarten, and Katie knew how upset he was that Kendall was going through all of this. Logan always worried enough already, let alone the events that had transpired recently!

Katie could still remember going to the park with all of the boys a long time ago and hearing Logan plead with Kendall to not jump down off of the monkey bars because he would just end up with a broken bone. Sure enough, one day, Kendall jumped off of the bars and landed directly on his arm, shattering his radius. Needless to say, Logan still reminded Kendall of that event almost every day. Logan always had a good reason to be worried, therefore he definitely had a reason to be this upset right now. "Are Camille and James going to be okay, Logan?" Katie asked timidly.

Logan shifted his gaze from Kendall's prone form to Katie's wide brown eyes, not removing his fingers from Kendall's hair. "I don't know, Katie. I don't know."

Camille was speechless as she stared open-mouthed at the man leaving the room. The door slammed behind that monster of a human being, and Camille had the sudden, usual urge to slap James (like she would to anybody else) but she stopped herself as she realized what had just happened. James looked up at her, his eyes sparkling with tears. His one cheek was now even rosier than it naturally was, his lips still bleeding, and Camille could almost feel the sting of the slap herself. Camille, legs still shaking, scooted back over to James.

"Ugh, James, why did you do that, hon?" Camille gently scolded, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. James was trembling violently, from the whole awfulness of the situation.

"You're okay" Camille whispered against his ear, gently rubbing her hand up and down his back. She pulled away and tore off the very bottom corner of her shirt.

"W-what are you doing?" James asked, his voice almost inaudible. "Shhh" Camille whispered gently, and James shut his mouth. Camille carefully dabbed at his lips, doing her best to help the ravaged skin heal. James flinched and pulled his head away, recoiling from the offending material.

"I know it hurts, James, but it has to be done. It'll only take a minute." Camille reassured. James sighed in defeat and let Camille finish dabbing at his poor lips.

A few minutes later, Camille set down the bloodied piece of clothe and rested her hand ever so lightly on James' now-throbbing cheek. She ran her thumb over the pink skin with a feather light touch a few times, "Is it bothering you?" she asked quietly.

James nodded and closed his eyes, "It's stinging…really bad." he replied innocently. He opened his eyes and looked over at Camille with his puppy-dog hazel eyes. Camille nodded in understanding and gently stroked his cheek for a minute, hoping to relieve the stinging somewhat. She let her hand fall to her lap, and she gazed down at a stain on the cement, unsure of what else to do for him. Several minutes went by of silence before James spoke quietly "Camille?".

Camille looked over at him, "Yeah?" she replied, her eyebrows furrowing in worry.

"Can…can I have a hug? Pl-please?" James whispered, he looked over at her innocently, his eyes silently pleading with her to say yes.

Camille's jaw almost dropped to the floor "_**He thinks he has to ask, and with a "please", too?"**_ she thought to herself. Camille smiled at him "_**What a sweetheart**_**"** she thought, before scooting closer and wrapping her arms around him gently. He was still shaking, and his skin was cold to the touch, so Camille hugged him even tighter, but still stayed gentle.

James leaned forward and rested his head against her shoulder, and took a shuddering breath. Camille glanced down at James' hands from her position in the hug, grimacing at the ugly sight of the rope burns. He needed to get out of that rope, and fast, before infection set in or his wrists became permanently scarred. Camille closed her eyes and took a deep breath, still not letting go of James. This was going to be hell on earth. Her throat immediately constricted painfully as she thought of her dearest Kendall, her angel really, and what he had to be going through right now. He was strong, very strong, but life for Kendall had been far from easy lately and now things were so much worse. Images of his sparkling green eyes staring up at her from where he was lying across her lap as she read, a smile spreading across his beautiful mouth and his dimples showing prominently flooded her. Camille blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears from falling, again, but to no avail. She was going to get through this, because she needed to for the sake of Kendall and James.

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><p>Mrs. Knight stared into her cup of coffee, watching the liquid ripple as the mug moved due to her shaking hands. She set down it down on the counter and rested her hands on the cold surface, steadying herself. One of her babies was missing, the girl whom she thought of as her own daughter was missing, Logan and Carlos were terribly upset, and her baby, her Kendall, was a mess. Mrs. Knight glanced over at the orange couch, where Carlos was lying curled up on his side. His usual sparkling brown eyes were emotionless as he stared absent-mindedly at the television, which wasn't even on. He was heartbroken.<p>

Katie, bless her heart, had taken Kendall away from the chaos several hours ago, and she hadn't seen either one of them since then. Logan had gone in there about a half an hour ago, too. What she would do without them, she had no idea, but now she _was _without dearest James and Camille. As a mother, Mrs. Knight worried about James, of course, just like the others. However, James was different, because, unlike Logan and Carlos, he really didn't have a family of his own. That was one of the reasons Mrs. Knight stepped in and took over as his mother in the first place. The boys meant the world to her, and Camille was starting to, as well, and now things were going to pieces. Mrs. Knight ran a hand through her hair agonizingly. What was she going to do?

It was around 3:30a.m. when Kendall woke up to Katie asleep on the other side of the bed, and Logan next to him. Kendall blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the sand that he just knew he had in his eyes - well, it sure felt like it. Carefully, and holding his breath, Kendall climbed out of the bed without disturbing Katie and Logan and tiptoed out to the hallway. He stumbled, still half asleep, to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. His golden hair was tousled and messy from sleeping at an odd angle on the bed, his eyes were bloodshot, no longer sparkling, and he had a considerable amount of stubble. Overall, he looked like garbage.

Kendall sighed and unfolded the fingers of his left hand, revealing Camille's hair band. A strangled sob escaped his throat and he folded his fingers back over it, hiding it from his view. "Come on, Kendall, think. What would Camille do?" he thought to himself. Camille would smile at him lovingly, hug him comfortingly, and tell him that everything would turn out okay, he just needed to breathe and think straight. Kendall's throat constricted painfully and he swallowed hard, exhaling deeply. He carefully stuffed Camille's hair band into the back pocket of his jeans and flipped on the sink faucet. After letting his fingers linger underneath the cool water for a moment, Kendall cupped his hands together and brought a handful of water up and pressed it against his face. The water, despite the fact that it was just cool, woke Kendall up instantly, making it easier to think clearly. After repeating that several times, he flipped off the water and pat-dried his face with a nearby hand towel. He'd get through this, he had to. Camille had been strong for him - always; the least he could do was pull himself together and save _her _this time. A small, almost inaudible knock was heard at the door, and Kendall instantly tensed. With a pounding heart, he approached the apartment door and threw it open, instantly on guard. However, it was just a tired police officer.

"This was left for you at the front desk, Mr. Knight" he grumbled, handing him an envelope. Kendall mouthed a thank you, unable to actually speak since his heart was still thumping like crazy, and closed the door. He rested his back against the door and stared down at the white letter with intense curiosity. Written casually on the front of the plain envelope was just his name, "Kendall". With long, shaking fingers, Kendall opened the it. What the envelope contained was the last thing he had been expecting.

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><p><strong>Hehehehehehe! I love writing cliffhangers for you guys! PLEASE REVIEW? I promise I will update AS SOON AS I CAN! Your reviews definitely help aid the process of my writing :D <strong>


	23. Goodbyes

**AN: Hey, readers! :D As you've probably realized, I changed my pen name from Nicole to SchmidttenForever! Because I'll forever be "smitten" with Kendall Schmidt :P Anywho, GRAZIE MILLE for the reviews, you awesome peeps! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for Jonathan Woods.**

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><p>Camille rubbed her hands up and down James' bare arms, trying to gently warm him. "You're okay" she whispered softly, kissing the side of his face. James nodded, but continued to shiver violently. Camille pulled out of the hug and quickly wiped her sleeve over her face, getting rid of all evidence of her breakdown.<p>

"C'mon now, James, you're okay." Camille whispered, trying not to sound hypocritical as she whisked away the tears that were sliding down his cheeks. "

You're making those ridiculously pretty eyelashes of yours all tangled and wet." she said light-heartedly. James just blinked furiously, his hazel eyes bright and damp, making his black eyelashes stand out even more. Camille clucked her tongue reflexively and brushed his hair back lovingly. A small sigh escaped James' poor lips and Camille hugged him, again. Things were quiet, the only sound heard was James taking the occasional shuddering breath. That is, until the door flew open, again. _Jonathan._

Camille wasn't going to take trash from this guy anymore, and that was final. "Listen here, you need to untie him and get me a medical kit or… he's going to die." Camille demanded, standing up defiantly. Well, that was stretching it a tad bit, but maybe it would work.

Jonathan stared at her angrily, his eyes stormy, and Camille took a casual step back, afraid that he would strike her, again. "Fine, but ONLY because I need the little brat." he grumbled as he left the room.

A few seconds later, Jonathan came storming back in the room, knelt behind James, and grabbed the back of his hair roughly, tilting his head up. Camille flinched and automatically went to take step towards them, but she controlled herself, for James' sake.

"You try anything, and I take Camille upstairs for awhile." Jonathan hissed, in James' ear.

"Do you understand me?" he asked, pulling harder on James' hair. James just grimaced and nodded. Camille saw Jonathan dig the tip of his knife into one of the cuts on James' wrist, " Do you understand me?" Jonathan demanded.

"YES! I-I understand" James exclaimed. Camille winced and just looked away. "Good" Jonathan spat, slitting the ropes around James' wrists, and shoving him towards the ground. James lost his balance, though, and had to catch himself with his hands, all pressure landing on his abused wrists. He let out a cry of pain and Camille couldn't help but attempt to charge at Jonathan.

Jonathan stuck out his hand, "Nah uh, I don't think so. You touch me, girly, and your friend here suffers unlike no one ever has before, I'll make sure of it." he warned.

Camille's heartbeat was deafening in her ears as she nodded rapidly, still steaming with unbelievably strong hate for the man before her. Jonathan stared at her threateningly for a moment before finally leaving. Camille ran her hands through her hair in anguish and took a deep breath. Things were not going well.

Meanwhile, James had…backed himself away from the pole and into the corner of the room, pulling his knees up to his chest with a grimace, cradling his wrists.

"M'k, come here, sweetheart." Camille said softly, feeling as if she were coaxing an abused kitten out of the corner. Camille knelt beside him, letting him stay in the corner (if that's what he wanted), and opened the medical bag. Surprisingly, it contained a decent amount of supplies. She could see antiseptic wipes, bandages, gauze, an antibiotic cream, medical tape, and even a few bottles of water.

"Okay, this isn't going to feel too good, James, but it's got to be done, okay?" Camille warned gently. James just nodded rapidly as he stared absent-mindedly in front of himself with feverish hazel eyes. Camille carefully and slowly took the damaged wrist that had been abused by Jonathan, as well, and began to gently clean it with one of the cloths that was had been in the bag. James immediately recoiled with a hiss of pain, snatching his wrist back and clutching it to his chest.

"James" Camille said lightly, her tone fully implying that he couldn't act like this right now.

"James, please stay still for a second, hon." Camille said, scooting closer. Surprisingly, James cowered further into the corner and closed his eyes. Camille squeezed her eyes shut. He was not making this easier on her. Camille scooted closer to him, feeling bad that she was practically closing in on him like an enemy. Slowly, she reached out and took his wrist, again. James cooperatively let her take it this time, but he kept his eyes closed, his eyelashes fluttering in anticipation of the pain. Camille winced as she heard his sharp intake of breath and he squirmed slightly as she finished cleaning the damaged, bleeding skin. Needless to say, it was a long process.

Camille exhaled deeply and swept a few sweaty curls out of her face as she secured the last piece of tape around the bandages covering James' wrists. He was still cowering in the corner, shivering even more violently now, his eyes still squeezed shut. His eyes may be closed, but there was no ignoring the steady stream of silent tears running out from them and cascading down his rosy cheeks. Camille angrily shoved the medical bag away with her foot and sat beside James, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. He didn't shove her away this time, though; he immediately turned and buried his face against the crook of her arm.

"Shhh, you're okay. Everything's going to be all right." Camille reassured, gently threading her fingers through his soft hair. "Hmmm?" she said softly. James just nodded against her, his shoulders quivering with silent sobs.

"Okay, it's all right." Camille said, pressing a kiss to his forehead. With a feather-light touch, Camille tilted his chin up so he could look at her. She wished she hadn't done that, though. Tears were making their way down James' cheeks faster than Camille could register, his dark eyelashes were tangled and wet, and he peered up at her with anguished, damp hazel eyes. James Diamond, who was always in a light-hearted mood, just concerned about his hair, was trembling curled up against her, absolutely terrified. Camille lovingly stroked his hair back off of his face.

"We're going to get through this." Camille whispered, choosing her next words carefully. "I promise" she said.

James just nodded and blinked a few times before curling up against her, once again. No one was going to make Camille a liar.

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><p>"No, no, no, no." Kendall whispered, running his trembling fingers through his hair. He read the letter for the eight time, mouthing each word.<p>

_I have them, and they're alive for now. Come to the address below at 9:00am. If you come with anybody or tell anyone where you're going, she dies._

Kendall let out a small whimper and slide down the door. This couldn't be happening to him. It just couldn't. He sat there for what seemed like an eternity, before he did actually look up at the clock. It was 7:57am. He was going to have to go, the woman he loved was at stake. Kendall stood up on shaking legs, grasping the letter tightly in his bandaged hands. Getting his balance on his unsteady legs, Kendall tiptoed back to his bedroom and quietly changed into jeans, a fitted tank top, and his red flannel shirt. Glancing down, he stared at his phone. Should he take it with him? What if this person found out? No, he wouldn't take it, he couldn't risk that. He left the cell phone on his nightstand. Taking a deep breath, Kendall slipped on his Vans and stood in the doorway of his mother and sister's bedroom. Silently, he padded over to Katie's bed and gazed down at her angelic sleeping form.

"I love you, baby sister. Never forget that." he whispered, leaning down and kissing her forehead. With a feather-light touch, he brushed her hair off of her face adoringly. He walked back and stood in the doorway, looking over at his mom, who tended to be a lighter sleeper than Katie.

"I love you, Mom. So much." Kendall whispered, blowing a silent kiss to her. Kendall's heart feeling like lead as he walked into Logan and Carlos's shared bedroom. Carlos was curled up on the bed, his arms tightly wrapped around his helmet with a heartbroken look on his face.

"Be strong, Carlitos. Mom and Katie are going to need you." Kendall whispered, rubbing the young Latino's shoulder. There was a lump forming in his throat, and Kendall didn't think he was going to be able to stay quiet anymore. He sat down beside Logan's sleeping form, smiling grimly at the sound of his soft snoring.

"I know you can be strong, Logan. Take care of them for me, pl-please." he whispered, pressing a kiss to Logan's temple. Kendall stood up abruptly, practically running out of the bedroom.

What if he couldn't do this? Kendall stood in the kitchen, his hands thrust into his hair in anguish. He glanced at the clock - 8:30am…he had to go. Kendall licked his lips, tasting salty tears on them that he hadn't even noticed were silently streaming down his face. Grabbing the letter, Kendall turned the doorknob of the door, glancing behind at the apartment one last time. Kendall's emerald eyes scanned his home, memories flooding him. Before he closed the apartment door behind him, Kendall whispered one last final goodbye to his family.

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><p><strong>Mwahahahahaha :P Reviews are my motivation, and motivation means you guys shall find out what happens next sooner rather than later ;) <strong>


	24. Gone

**Youch, anybody else feeling a bit of a cold spot in the room? I'm getting the feeling that a few of you aren't too happy with me. Haha. I'm SUPER sorry that I haven't update in awhile! I've had TERRIBLE writer's block, and I've been really busy! *gets on knees* I'M SORRY! Thank you so much for all of you that reviewed the last chapter, though! Here's the extremely late chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and I never will.**

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><p>Katie stirred sleepily in her bed, she could have sworn she had heard her brother's voice. Or maybe she had just been dreaming. "Kendall?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and sitting up. Mrs. Knight was still asleep, and the slightest rays of sun were barely peeking in through the sheer curtains across the room. Katie hopped out of bed, and checked on the rest of the boys. Well, Logan and Carlos were still fast asleep, so Katie padded over to her brother and Camille's bedroom. The room was dark, and kind of cold…and the bed was made. Katie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and worry as she searched Kendall's pristine bedroom. He wasn't there. Heart rate speeding up rapidly, Katie ran out of Kendall's room and into the main room. He wasn't there, either. Kendall wasn't anywhere in the apartment.<p>

Hot tears pricked at the corners of Katie' eyes and her breath hitched in her throat, "MOM!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. A few seconds later, Mrs. Knight came running out of her bedroom and towards her daughter. "Katie! What's wrong?" she exclaimed tiredly.

Katie turned around, tears streaming down her face, "Kendall's gone!".

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><p>Camille pressed her lips gently against the side of James' face, and brushed his damp hair to the side. "Why don't you get some sleep, hmm?" she said softly, rubbing his arm consolingly. James blinked slowly a few times, exhaustion hitting him like a ton of bricks now that Camille had suggested sleep.<p>

"I…I don't want to. Wh-what if he comes back?" James said, looking up at her with worried eyes.

"He won't. Shhh, sleep. Just sleep." Camille whispered soothingly. James stared at her for a moment before nodding and lying down, resting his head on her lap. Camille wrapped her arms loosely around his bare arms, keeping him in place and pulling him closer towards her torso to keep him warm.

Camille slid her hand down and comfortingly rubbed her thumb lightly over the bandages covering his wrists, "Get some sleep, everything's going to be all right." she whispered, and James nodded against her legs. Camille exhaled deeply and closed her eyes. Everything would be okay…right?

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><p>"Please, don't." Kendall exclaimed, his plea cut off by someone roughly jerking his head back and tying a gag around his mouth. This wasn't how it was supposed to be - he thought this Jonathan guy wanted to make a deal. Kendall struggled against the rough hands that pulled his arms behind him; he was starting to freak out because of the blindfold and gag these men had put on him, so the last thing he wanted was to be restrained, too. Kendall's lips parted around the gag in a silent cry of pain as his arms were pulled roughly backwards and bound. Two guys had been waiting for him inside the doors at the address Kendall had been given and, well, this was the position he was currently in. Kendall tried to rip free from the hold the men had on him, but it just earned him what felt like a belt being whipped against the back of his legs. Kendall fell to his knees, pain shooting up his legs as he hit the ground, grunting and breathing hard against the gag. "<p>

Don't mess around." came a warning, from right by his ear. Kendall flinched, trying his best not to appear frightened. He had always been claustrophobic, but this was way worse. He couldn't see, he couldn't talk, and he couldn't move.

"Take him to the main room in the basement. I want to have a few words with him." came a different voice from farther away. Kendall heard chuckling, and someone laughed, "There won't be much talking going on".

Kendall gulped, his chest heaving. He was roughly pulled into a standing position, his knees buckling as he was forced to walk, despite the fact that he couldn't see where he was going. Kendall took a hesitant, clumsy step forward and he suddenly felt like he could relate to a newborn deer, tripping over it's own long legs. "Please, don't do this." Kendall exclaimed, but his words were obscured by the clothe tied around his mouth.

The man behind him shoved him, "Shut up, and keep walking, brat." he grumbled. Kendall stumbled, almost losing his balance completely before someone grabbed the color of his plaid shirt and heaved him up. Kendall squeezed his eyes shut, his cry of pain muffled by the gag. _Where were Camille and James?_

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><p>Camille exhaled deeply, recoiling in shock as she saw her breath hanging in the air for a moment. Was it really that cold in there? She ran her hands down James' arms, his skin icy cold under her fingertips. A tremor would even rack his body now and then in his sleep. "Are you cold, sweetheart?" Camille asked softly. James nodded and scooted closer to her, desperately seeking warmth. Camille gently wrapped her arms around him and helped him into a sitting position, so he was leaning against her chest.<p>

"You're okay." Camille whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead. James closed his eyes and nodded, burying his head against her shoulder. Camille sighed and hooked her arms around him, pressing his muscular body closer to her. "How are you feeling?" Camille asked softly.

"My hands hurt, Camille." James said, sounding distraught. Camille looked down and saw that bruises were already peeking out from underneath the bandages.

"I'm sorry, James." Camille replied, bringing one hand up and pressing a feather-light kiss to the abused wrist. "It'll get better, I promise." she said, smiling at him and running her fingers consolingly through his soft hair.

"Where's Kendall?" James whimpered. Ugh, this was the question Camille had been dreading to hear.

"I know he's out there looking for us right now." Camille reassured, gently rubbing the small of his back.

"What if…what if he doesn't find us?" James whispered, sounding like a frightened child asking his mother what thunder was. Camille pressed a kiss to the side of his face, and James nestled his face against her neck, trying to warm up his adorable nose.

"He will, James. He will. We just have to hang tight, okay?" Camille said reassuringly. "Kendall's going to find us, and take us home, don't worry." Camille whispered, looking down at James' dark, fluttering eyelashes. James nodded and looked up at her, his hazel eyes innocent and scared.

Renewed hope crept into Camille's heart, her own reassuring words affecting her, as well. She missed Kendall so much. She missed the feeling of his silken-skinned, toned arms wrapping around her waist and his full, sweet mouth pressed against her lips. She remembered that just the day before James had gone missing, she had come out of his bedroom wearing one of his sweatshirts. The minute he saw it, he gave her the biggest, dimpled grin she had ever seen and ran over to her, playfully tickling her until they both were rolling on the floor in fits of laughter. He would save her. They would make it through this. Camille was positive that they would be rescued…that is, until the door flew open and a bloodied, bound Kendall was thrown into the room.

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><p><strong>I know, it's not overly long, and I'm sorry about that! But my writer's block is finally fading so I hope to update a lot sooner than I did this time around! Pretty please review! I'll speed-write the next chapter if maybe you can help get me to 140 reviews or at least super close? I swear that if I reach 140, I'll the post the next chapter SUPER FREAKING SOON! :) <strong>

**Oh, and how did y'all like Big Time Contest, Superstar, and the behind the scenes video of their song "All Over Again"? ^_^**


	25. Reunited

**AN: WOOT! Thanks for all of the reviews! Sending virtual hugs to you all because of your awesomeness! :D I really do appreciate each and every one of them! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for Jonathan Woods!**

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><p>"Oh my gosh." Camille whispered, her heart jumping into her throat and beating like a hummingbird's wings. James bolted up and off of Camille's lap, completely in shock. Kendall groaned yet stayed on his back, unable to move. Camille winced and scooted over to Kendall, her hands shaking as they hovered over Kendall's abused body. His shirt was bloody and torn, bruises and cuts covered almost every inch of exposed skin, across his cheeks and on his jaw. "Kendall, it's okay I'm right here." Camille said. Kendall's head turned to the side as he heard her voice and he began to struggle against his bonds.<p>

"Whoa, hey, give me a second here, baby. You're okay." Camille reassured as she gently reached out and began to untie the ropes. They were loose already from Kendall's struggling, so Camille easily removed them. Tossing the rope to the side, she pulled off Kendall's gag and then quickly untied the blindfold. Kendall slowly opened his eyes, blinking as the small amount of light in the basement seared his unready pupils.

Once his eyes had focused, Kendall sat up. "Camille! Oh, gosh!" he exclaimed in relief, throwing his arms around her and pulling her close. Camille felt tears begin to slip down her cheeks as she hugged him gently but tightly. "Kendall, oh, Kendall." she sobbed.

"I'm right here, you're okay." Kendall reassured, his hands going up to stroke her hair. "I'm here, sweetheart." he whispered. Camille pulled away from him and looked up. Kendall gave her a reassuring smile, the corners of his beautiful, full mouth turning up. "You're all right." he said, his green eyes sparkling with unshed tears of his own as he ran his warm, somewhat calloused thumb over her cheek. Camille nodded, a complete mess as she lovingly ran her hand through his hair, unsure if he was real. "Look at you." Camille whispered, gently touching the bruises on his face.

Kendall winced in pain and shied away, gently taking her hands and holding them in his. "I'll be okay." he whispered, stooping down to kiss her chastely. Gosh, she had missed his lips. Kendall pulled away, smiling a little bit, but then frowned as he looked in the corner. James was staring at him wide-eyed and beaten, looking unbelievably frightened.

"James." Kendall whispered sadly, before carefully crawling over to his friend. "Hey, you're all right, buddy." Kendall softly reassured before lovingly enveloping his broken friend in a comforting embrace.

James hugged Kendall back, desperately grasping at Kendall's shirt in despair. "Kendall" he choked out, his voice breaking.

"I'm right here, James. It's okay." Kendall whispered, gently rubbing James' back. Camille had to smile at the sight of Kendall with James. They meant so much to each other. She was so glad that they were reunited. However, being with Kendall was a good thing…but how were they going to be rescued now that he was kidnapped, too? Camille frowned as she thought about this.

Kendall pulled away from James and knelt in front of him, "Did he do this to you?" he questioned, his voice tinted with anger as he gently held James' wrists in his hands. James nodded, hot tears cascading down his face. Kendall shook his head, his eyelashes fluttering in frustration and upset. "Please, Kendall, take us home." James pleaded, looking up at Kendall with bright hazel eyes.

Kendall looked like he was about to pass out, "Oh, James, buddy, everything's going to be all right. Mom will find us." he said, wrapping his arms around James' quivering shoulders once again. James buried his face against Kendall's shoulder as Kendall gently cradled James' head against him. "Shhh, James, it's going to be okay." Kendall repeated over and over again, but he wasn't getting through to his distraught friend. He gently threaded his fingers through James' hair, trying to provide some comfort to him, but to no avail.

A few minutes later, James pulled out of Kendall's embrace and tiredly leaned against his best friend. Kendall smiled softly down at James and sat with his back against the wall. "Get some sleep, James." Kendall said, rubbing the brunette's shoulder.

"Will you stay with me?" James asked softly, looking up innocently at Kendall.

Kendall smiled at him, "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." he whispered reassuringly. James nodded and sat at an angle, resting his head against Kendall's chest.

"Just relax, everything's all right, buddy." Kendall soothed, draping his arm around James' shoulders to keep him in place while also keeping him warm. Camille smiled, for the first time in quite awhile. The boys depended on each other so much. James seemed instantly at ease now that he was back with Kendall by his side. Kendall watched James for a few minutes, content with how quickly his friend fell into a peaceful sleep.

"Come here." Kendall whispered, looking up at Camille. Camille scooted over to him, her smile fading as his fragile condition became more prominent as time wore on.

Camille reached up and gently cupped his strong jaw, "You all right?" she whispered, concern evident in her voice.

Kendall smiled sweetly at her, "Of course I'm okay, I'm here with you two now." he said. Camille's heart skipped a beat. _Why is he so adorable, _she thought. Kendall grew serious, again, and he gently shifted James closer to him, trying to keep him warm.

"I…I didn't know what to do. I couldn't think straight without you, I was a complete mess." Kendall confessed. He fluttered his eyelashes in upset, tears beginning to slip down his face. He smiled sadly at her, and Camille's heart constricted painfully.

"I'm right here now." she reassured, at a loss for any other words. Her speculations about Kendall being distraught when she had disappeared had just been confirmed, and now she was a wreck.

"Come sit with me?" Kendall timidly asked, tears still streaming down his cheeks despite the small smile on his face. Camille nodded and sat next to him with her back against the wall. Kendall draped his other arm around her, pulling her close against his side. Camille reached up and kissed the side of his face before snuggling against him. Kendall took a deep, shuddering breath and rested the side of his face on top of Camille's head. Camille slipped her arm between Kendall and the wall they were resting against, slipping her hand underneath his plaid shirt to stroke his soft skin. She ran the pad of her thumb across the small of his back.

"I'm guessing that James isn't doing too well?" Kendall whispered, looking down at James and lovingly sweeping a few strands of hair off of his face.

Camille shook her head, "He's scared, and he doesn't feel well - at all." she answered, reaching over and stroking James' hair, too. "I think he feels a lot better now that you're here for him. He and I are close, considering what he's been through with you and I, but you two have known each other longer." she whispered.

Kendall just nodded and rubbed James' arm rhythmically. Kendall leaned down and gently kissed Camille's neck, "We'll figure everything out." he reassured, running his fingers through her hair.

Camille nodded, and snuggled closer to Kendall, his lean body pressed against her, keeping her warm. She wrapped her arms around his waist once more, running her hand up and down his hip, fingering the belt loops on his jeans. She didn't know what the next day would hold, or even the next hour, but now that she was back in Kendall's arms, she was instantly comforted. However, just as Kendall's breathing became even and James was fast asleep, the door flew open and in stormed Jonathan - looking angry.

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><p><strong>Review? PRETTY PLEASE? I will definitely post the next chapter super soon if you do get me to 140 reviews! :)<strong>


	26. Revenge

**AN: Peoples! Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOO much for all of your reviews! I LOVE you guys! :D Getting each email, alerting me about one of you adding my story to your favorites, or telling me that you reviewed, motivates me so very much! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

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><p>"Carlitos." Logan said quietly, shifting uncomfortably. From across the room, Carlos's dark gaze flickered over to Logan's chocolate eyes. Logan used a slight jerk of his head to gesture for the Latino to come over to him. Carlos sadly set his helmet down on the counter and padded over to his friend.<p>

"Can you take her for a moment?" Logan asked, his voice a mere whisper. "I need to go to Mama Knight." he said.

Carlos just nodded, sitting down directly beside Logan on the couch. Gently and slowly, Logan picked Katie up off of his lap and placed her on Carlos's lap instead.

Carlos held out his arms, gently cradling Katie's semi-conscious form to his chest as she snuggled up to him and buried her face against his neck. Logan got up and stretched his legs before walking over to Mrs. Knight and the police officers in the kitchen.

"It's going to be all right, Katie." Carlos whispered, gingerly stroking her hair as she drifted off to sleep.

Logan sadly stood next to Mrs. Knight, watching sympathetically as she wiped at the constant stream of tears running down her face as she spoke to the police. "Please, just find my babies." Mrs. Knight whispered.

The officers had nothing but grief and sympathy in their facial expressions as they nodded. "I promise you, we're doing everything we can to find your children." the lieutenant officer said, putting a consoling hand on Mrs. Knight's shoulder.

Logan nodded towards the man in thanks, helping his Mama Knight out as she couldn't even get words formed. The officers silently left, leaving the four grief-stricken family members with little hope.

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><p>Kendall flinched, reflexively pulling both James and Camille closer to him. "What do you want from us?" demanded Kendall, tired of beating around the bush. Jonathan stormed towards the three figures curled up against each other in the corner, "I just want my revenge." he stated.<p>

Camille's mouthed formed a small "o" as Jonathan pointed to Kendall, but she didn't say anything. Kendall didn't seemed overly bothered by Jonathan's comment, though. "Why?" Kendall exclaimed, sounding impatient. Jonathan let out an exasperated sigh, "Let me tell you a little story." he said. Camille's eyebrows furrowed, he had sounded a lot like The Joker from The Dark Knight movie just then. Jonathan paced in front of the three of them, and James pretended to be asleep, but Kendall could still feel him shaking against him.

"Your father was a lawyer, correct?" Jonathan sneered. Kendall's breath hitched in his throat. _Where is this going?_

Kendall just nodded, and Jonathan continued "I had a brother…he and I were extremely close in our…business." Kendall rolled his eyes, knowing that "business" more than likely meant drug dealing.

"Your father caught my brother, and after a long fight in the courtroom, my brother was sentenced to _life_ in jail." Jonathan said, his pacing becoming angrier and angrier as he continued. Kendall gulped, he didn't like where this was going.

"Two months later, my brother was killed in prison. He was the ONLY FAMILY THAT I HAD LEFT!" bellowed Jonathan. Camille flinched and buried herself against Kendall's side.

Kendall bravely spoke up, "Why me? Why punish me for what my father did… rightly, might I add". Camille shook her head, Kendall's attitude was going to get him into so much trouble. Sure enough, Jonathan lunged forward and dragged Kendall out of the corner and to the middle of the room.

"Because your father managed to get himself killed in a dumb car accident before I could kill him myself! And you and your friends," Jonathan gestured maniacally over to Camille and James, "are the next best thing". Kendall paled, he thought this was about some sort of ransom, not murder.

"The cops are onto me, so it's time for me to clean up and leave." Jonathan said. Jonathan sent a rough, swift kick to Kendall's ribs. Kendall hissed in pain and balanced himself on the palms of his hands, trying to get off the floor. Before Kendall could successfully lift himself up, Jonathan sent enough field goal-worthy kick to Kendall's abdomen, sending Kendall a foot across the floor and onto his back.

"Please, just leave him alone. He didn't do anything!" Camille exclaimed, helplessly watching as Jonathan continued to beat Kendall to a pulp.

Jonathan completely ignored Camille, grabbing a fistful of the front of Kendall's plaid shirt and throwing a punch to Kendall's perfectly chiseled jaw. Camille winced and closed her eyes. "Please" she begged, but it was barely audible. Jonathan grabbed the back of Kendall's hair, once again. Kendall cried out, weakly struggling as he was unceremoniously dragged back to the middle of the room.

Camille saw the faint glint of a revolver inside the band of Jonathan's jeans as he kicked Kendall once more. Her heart sped up, and her thoughts began to race. She needed to figure out what to do - and quickly. Kendall groaned, closing his eyes and wrapping one lanky arm around his abused abdomen.

That was it, Camille couldn't watch this anymore. "Don't' move, James." she whispered against James' ear, gently stroking his hair back. James looked up with wide, frightened eyes, silently asking what she was about to do. Without a second thought, Camille hopped up onto her feet and threw herself at Jonathan, who was currently preoccupied with using Kendall's face as a punching bag.

Luckily, Camille was light enough on her feet that she managed to land on Jonathan's back. "What the?" Jonathan exclaimed, scrambling and grabbing at her. It was useless, though - Camille was holding onto him for dear life, easily avoiding his grabby hands.

Kendall looked like a deer in the headlights as he watched as his girlfriend tried to strangle their captor. The realization that she was trying to _distract_ Jonathan hit Kendall and he painfully got to his feet. Camille, happy that Kendall finally was standing erect once more, let go of Jonathan with one hand and grabbed the revolver, knocking it to the floor.

Camille lost her balance, and tumbled to the floor, crying out as the she scraped her knees against the cement. Camille flipped her hair out of her face, looking abruptly over her shoulder as sudden, eerie silence took over the room. Jonathan was standing still, just a few feet away from Kendall, who was now pointing the revolver at said captor.

"Don't. Move." Kendall ordered, his voice uneven. Jonathan teasingly took one step forward, and Kendall locked both of his elbows, holding the gun directly in front of him with violently shaking arms.

"You're not really going to pull the trigger, kid." Jonathan sneered, taking another step forward.

"I don't want to, so j-just let us go." Kendall pleaded. Jonathan smiled maniacally and took another step forward.

Kendall took one step back in sync with Jonathan's move, and cocked the revolver. Camille's heart was racing at an immeasurable pace as she watched Kendall. Her boyfriend didn't want to shoot anyone, he just couldn't.

"Pl-please" Kendall begged, his voice shaking as violently as his lanky arms. Silent tears began to slip down his cheeks, mixing with the blood from the cuts on his face as he begged Jonathan to stop.

Jonathan's gaze flickered casually over to James' cowering figure in the corner, and an evil smile crossed Jonathan's lips. This, however, didn't go unnoticed by Kendall, despite his current state. Jonathan was going to lunge for James, and then Kendall would be forced to surrender.

"Please, don't do it." Kendall pleaded with their captor once more. Jonathan just smiled, lifting his foot slightly to take a step in the direction of James. It was simple as that, the minute Jonathan got a hold of James it would all be over. There would be no escape, and Jonathan would kill the three of them, he just knew it…

Kendall pulled the trigger.

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><p><strong>Whew, so what did you guys think? ;) Review, review, and I shall be motivated to post the next chapter by next weekend, or earlier! :)<strong>


	27. Found

**AN: I am INCREDIBLY sorry for the wait, peeps! Some family stuff was happening and it totally screwed up my writing. But here it is! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything!**

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><p>It all happened at once - Camille covered her ears, James ducked and whimpered, Kendall dropped the revolver, and Jonathan fell to the unforgiving ground. Camille straightened up, uncovering her ears as the deafening sound of her breathing filled the basement.<p>

"Oh my gosh." Kendall breathed, dropping to his knees. He was shaking uncontrollably, staring with huge eyes at the revolver he had dropped, and the now-bleeding man on the floor. "No, no, no." he whispered, forcing his hands over Jonathan's wound and putting pressure.

"Kendall, w-what are you doing?" Camille asked, staring open-mouthed at her boyfriend as he tried to SAVE their captor.

"H-he can't die! I didn't mean…I didn't mean to…" Kendall whispered hurriedly, his voice breaking as he babbled. Jonathan cried out in his half-conscious state as Kendall tried to stop the bleeding. It was no use, though, Kendall had obviously shot at the easiest part of Jonathan's body, his stomach, and hit the aorta. He was exsanguinating in front of Kendall's very eyes. James was still in the corner of the basement, looking on the verge of passing out due to many reasons…including the fact that he just witnessed his best friend shoot someone.

Camille forced her uneasy legs to move and she walked over to stand behind Kendall, "Kendall, babe, let him go. He's…he is not going to make it, okay? There's nothing you can do." Camille said softly, gently tugging on Kendall's shoulders to pull him away from Jonathan.

Their captor had closed his eyes and Camille was pretty sure, by the looks of it, that he was gone for good now. Kendall's hands were soaked in blood by now as he held them out in front of him, shaking like a leaf. Realization that they were free hit Camille like a ton of bricks and she bolted to the door. "Stay here!" she shouted, knowing neither one of the boys probably could hear her right now. Camille ran up the stairs, her heart racing as she followed the unknown walls of the hallway, finally leading to a small den. Then she spotted it - a phone. Camille nearly screamed in relief as she snatched the phone, her fingers shaking as she dialed 911. They were getting out of this place - finally.

"911, what is your emergency?" came the voice, and Camille wanted to answer with "everything".

A weight now lifted off her shoulders and help on the way, Camille rushed down the stairs and back to the basement, where the boys still sat in their same positions. Camille slowed down, her heart still pounding in her throat inevitably as she approached Kendall. He was on his knees, shoulders slumped forwards, head down, and bloody hands resting palm up in his lap.

Camille slowly sat down beside him, and gently tilted his chin up with one finger, "Hey now, you're all right. We're safe." she whispered.

"I…I shot him! I killed someone, Camille. I didn't mean to…I swear I didn't mean to kill him." Kendall sobbed, furiously wiping his bloodied hands over his shirt, the bright red smearing across the fabric and making him look like an axe murderer. Camille shivered, stress setting in, but she pushed it away. Kendall needed her right now. "I know you didn't, hon. I know, but it's okay." she consoled, comfortingly rubbing his uninjured shoulder. Yes, their now-dead captor lying in the middle of the floor in a pool of blood was a sight that Camille would never forget; but, it was self defense and Kendall was by no means at fault. Kendall didn't move, he just sat there sobbing quietly, and Camille was unable to do anything to console him.

Camille gently played with the hair at the nape of Kendall's neck, whispering words of nonsense to him. Kendall didn't react, shock was setting in and he probably couldn't hear her or feel her touch.

Deciding that Kendall needed a bit of space, Camille moved over to sit beside James. "Hey, you okay?" she said, putting her arms out. James was most definitely not okay; he was injured, sick, scarred for life, and shaking fiercely… but, hey, she thought she'd ask. James just shook his head, his hazel eyes wide with fear and agony.

"Come here." Camille softly ordered, and James happily threw himself into her arms. "Help is on the way, we're going to get out of here. It's all right." Camille soothed, lovingly carding her fingers through his soft dark hair. As if on cue, sirens were heard in the distance and Camille sighed in relief. _Finally_.

Five minutes later, police stormed through the door, guns raised and ready to be fired at any given moment. Upon seeing one dead perpetrator, a gun in the corner, and three distraught teens, the police lowered their weapons. One officer mumbled something into the radio strapped to his shoulder, and a few seconds later, paramedics filed in along with more officers.

A paramedic knelt beside Jonathan's still form for a few seconds, checking for a pulse, and then whispered to a nearby officer, "This one's dead. Call in the coroner". These whispered words, not meant to be heard by anyone else, set a fresh wave of sobs off from Kendall. One kindhearted female paramedic carefully approached Camille and James. "I'll see you in a few minutes, I promise." Camille said, kissing James' forehead and rubbing his back. James nodded timidly, and within a few minutes, a scared, but tired James was being taken out to the ambulance. Camille sat down beside Kendall before the other paramedic took over. "It's all right, you're okay." Camille reassured. "Help is here, Kendall. We are going to go to the hospital and get everything straightened out. We're safe now." Camille whispered to Kendall, letting her lips linger against his ear. Kendall nodded, still in a panic-induced daze as he stared ahead with glassy green eyes. "All right, we can take it from here." came a kind voice. Camille looked up at smiled at the male paramedic standing above her. "Okay" Camille mouthed. Camille watched carefully, from a distance to give the paramedic space as he gently spoke to Kendall and assessed his injuries. Only a few moments went by before Camille and Kendall were both taken to ambulances, as well. They were leaving this place, leaving Jonathan, and going to a safe place.

* * *

><p><strong>Six Hours Later<strong>

The quiet hum of machines was actually quite soothing to Camille, and she couldn't help but smile down at the man beside her. Kendall was asleep, more than likely due to the many meds making their way through the IV currently in his arm. He looked angelic, as usual. His golden hair was extremely tousled and frizzy, but still gorgeous. His fair eyelashes were splayed gently against his cheeks, and his full lips were parted as he slept peacefully. His injures weren't severe, per say, but serious enough that he'd have to stay in the hospital for a few days. Cuts, bruises, and several badly bruised ribs made for some interesting pain relievers that would be prescribed when they were released from the hospital. Camille ran the pad of her thumb across the bruises on Kendall's square, chiseled jaw. "I'll be back, love." Camille whispered, pressing her lips to Kendall's forehead.

Camille had been sitting in the stiff hospital chair for two hours and she needed to stretch her legs, as short as they may be. Mrs. Knight, Logan, Carlos, and Katie were all asleep in the main lobby on the couch, arms around each other comfortingly. There had been a lot of hugging and sobbing when they all had been reunited in the hospital, and Camille had never felt so happy to see anybody before. Mrs. Knight and Katie didn't let go of Camille for ten minutes when they had first arrived, and Carlos and Logan had openly sobbed as they had wrapped her in bear hugs. The family had been through hell, and Camille felt terrible. She could only imagine how they had felt when she, Kendall, and James had all disappeared.

Police had interviewed her already, and Camille had told them everything, not leaving out even one minor detail. The officers would talk to Kendall when he was ready, but after revealing Jonathan's history and hearing Camille explain everything, his death was already ruled as simple self defense. James was definitely going to need to stay in the hospital for awhile. He had been terribly ill during their time of captivity, and the injuries added to it had done quite a bit of damage to his body. However, James would be okay and so would Kendall. Camille had a few cuts and bruises here and there but other than that she was fine…physically. She was going to take one hour at a time, knowing that there would be nightmares, long days, and tough recoveries in the whole family. Camille paused her musings, as she opened the door to James' room. Thankfully, he was asleep, as well, and looked quite at ease. Camille brushed her fingers through his hair and gently kissed his bruised cheek. Now that Jonathan was dead, they were definitely all safe; Not from nightmares and memories, but from bodily harm, at least. Camille took James' warm hand and gave it a small, loving squeeze. "Everything's all right, James. We're safe." Camille whispered, kissing his cheek once more. Camille sighed and stood up, joining the rest of the family in the lobby.

Camille smiled warmly at the sight of Logan and Carlos asleep on the hospital couch, Carlos's head resting on Logan's chest unbeknownst to either one of them. Camille pressed a kiss to each other of their foreheads before covering them with a blanket that the nurses had provided them with. With a soft sigh, Camille settled down in the chair that was beside the couch, and pulled another blanket around her own shoulders, reveling in the quiet hospital lobby. It was late, so they were the only ones there. She wasn't used to the silence whatsoever, she hadn't had any in weeks, but it was welcomed, nonetheless. Things would be tough, she knew that, but these people had proved to be the strongest family she had ever met. Together, leaning on each other's shoulders, they'd get through this.

**FINE**

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, my friends, it is over! This story has been like my baby for the past several months and I'm pretty distraught to see it go! Thank you SO MUCH for being such faithful reviewers. It means so much to me, and I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed this last time around and let me know what you thought of the story! Thank you, again! If you lovely peeps want them, I may be posting some more one shots soon :) Much love!<strong>


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